Jeremy's strategy of dropping onto the rats from the labyrinth wall and beating them to death, worked if there was only one of them, but the rats often traveled in packs.

  After some dangerous experimentation, he discovered that if he grasped a jack-in-the-bomb tightly and ran with it, he could count to five before it exploded. If he ever failed to throw it before this happened, he imagined the results would be most unpleasant.

  It was with this knowledge that Jeremy developed a new strategy. He would grab a jack-in-the-bomb from the dungeon toy store, run up the spear he'd leaned against the labyrinth wall as if the forces of darkness were chasing him, and hurl the jack in the bomb into the crowd of rats that had followed him here. After that, he would drop down on the stunned, wounded rats and finish them off with his fists.

  He stopped wearing his leather armor or his spider-silk cloak when hunting rats. Both slowed him down, and he didn't need them for the dungeon rats he was killing.

  If the rats threatened to overwhelm him, he'd pull out his sword or retreat to the top of a labyrinth wall, but such events were rare. The truth was that compared to the monsters in dungeon school and the town of Dungeonville, the rats were pretty weak. Unfortunately, the experience and monster loot he gained from them were pretty low as well.

  After the dungeon absorbed the worst of the green monster blood that always covered him after these battles, he'd collect any healing potions the rats left behind and go join the kobolds.

  ***

  Today, he found the five male kobolds hanging out in front of the third safe room from the entrance. They were listening to something Jeremy suspected was music to them, but to him, it was just noise. Two kobold fighters faced off against each other as the other three watched.

  This was interesting because, though the kobolds were adventurers, he'd never seen them fight anything more frightening than the dungeon bats. By this time, Jeremy could kill dungeon bats in his sleep. Literally.

  “Hi,” Jeremy said, walking up to them. “I don't suppose I could train with you?”

  They jumped, looking around nervously, having not heard him approach. “Jirmy,” Shark said, his head bobbing up and down. “I'm sorry. No. We cannot train with you. We have secret fighting style. We thought you were off killing rats.”

  Jeremy held up 100 dungeon coin. “How secret?” The five kobolds looked at each other. “I bet your boss would tell you to train with me, but she'd charge me more coin and keep most of it for herself.”

  “Two hundred coin,” Shark said.

  “One hundred,” Jeremy said. “That's twenty coin for each of you. I'm guessing it takes you several days to make that much working for Lard Lump. Also, thanks to your boss, I'm low on dungeon coin.”

  Jeremy could tell he was right. “One hundred,” Shark said, looking defeated.

  “I have to ask,” Jeremy said. “How much is twenty dungeon coin on your world? I mean, what can you buy with it?”

  “That depends on where you are,” Shark answered. “In my town, twenty dungeon coin will get you a large cart with a medium-quality magic engine, or pay a servant for a year.”

  “So dungeon coin is worth a lot more outside the dungeon,” Jeremy said.

  “Yes,” Shark took the 100 coin and made it vanish. “I don't think you'll learn anything from us. The Way of the Kobold uses tails, claws, and teeth.” He turned to the Fighters he Identified as Skin of Stone. Stone Skin? And One Who Slides Through the Grass. Snake? “None of us is that good. Ironwood was our best fighter.”

  “So where is he now?” Jeremy asked. The kobolds went silent. Jeremy winced. That must be one of their dead comrades. “Sorry.”

  The kobolds didn't say anything, but Jeremy felt their resentment. Three humans and an elf killed their friend, and Jeremy happened to be a human, something he could do nothing about.

  “You wish to learn the way of the kobold?” Stone asked. “If I were to attack you with the way of the kobold, I'd do this.” He turned to the side, tail lashing out at Jeremy's ankles. As Jeremy jumped over the tail, Stone spun around with impressive speed, while somehow jumping in the air and using both legs to kick Jeremy in the chest, sending him flying backward like he'd been hit by a freight train. He slammed into the ground several paces away, his breath knocked out of him.

  Shark ran over to Jeremy. “Are you okay?” he bent over Jeremy, only to feel Jeremy's knife against his throat.

  Jeremy chuckled. “You should be more careful.” He put his knife away and got slowly to his feet. “That was an impressive kick.”

  “Yes. He's fighter. They have mana-enhanced kicks.”

  “So that was a mana-enhanced attack?” This was a relief. Jeremy didn't feel quite so bad about being beaten by a lower leveled adventurer. “How does that work?”

  “It very good fighter ability and is also good for defense,” Snake explained while using his sword to take out one of the endless supply of bat creatures. He raised his shield. “Kick my shield, as hard as you can.”

  Curious, Jeremy took a running start and slammed his foot into the shield as hard as he could. The smaller kobold didn't budge and Jeremy felt like he'd kicked a stone wall.

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  Snake lowered his shield, looking tired. “You have a good kick.”

  Flint, who had been absent for the past day, appeared next to him. “Their skill appears limited by their low mana levels. You should be able to defeat these two fighters by avoiding their initial attacks and outlasting them.”

  “I see,” Jeremy said quietly.

  “Of course, with a strong fighter like Rampage, you're much better off employing your usual strategy of running away and hiding.”

  Jeremy grimaced, rubbing his scarred face where Rampage had just missed killing him with an axe. The fact that Flint spoke the truth didn't help. “The point of me getting strong is so I'm not limited by some stupid active skill,” he hissed.

  “We've been through this before, Jeremy,” Flint responded. “Fighters are the damage dealers and attack from the front, rogues have stealth and run away and hide, or attack from behind. Good idea to train with the kobolds, though. This should better prepare you for tailed and clawed monsters and adventurers in the future.”

  Jeremy rejoined the kobolds. “So the way of the kobold involves using your tail as a distraction for your main attack?”

  “Sometimes,” Stone said. “Sometimes the tail is the main attack. Like this.” Stone's tail lashed out, and Jeremy was on the ground again.

  By the end of the day, Jeremy understood the kobold fighting style well enough to easily defeat both lower leveled fighters.

  The next day, Jeremy visited the kobolds in their safe room. This time, their safe room held the illusion of a courtyard with a pleasant sun staring down on them and two small moons on the distant horizon.

  “How is my favorite merchant on the second floor of the dungeon?” he asked.

  “She is the only merchant on the second floor of the dungeon,” Lard Lump answered, opening kitchen drawers. She pulled out several powders and mixed them in a small bowl.

  “I was wondering. Why hasn't the dungeon kicked you off this floor? You've been here much longer than I have, and as soon as I finish clearing out the monster rats, I know the dungeon will send me on my way.”

  She added liquid to the powders and mixed everything. “I don't know. If the dungeon sends me onward, I will leave. Until then, I stay. I like this floor. I've gained much dungeon coin and monster loot.”

  “Something else I was wondering about,” Jeremy said. “When you and your aunt discovered the dungeon portal, why didn't you sell the portal to other adventurers? You'd get dungeon coin without having to risk your life.”

  Lard Lump threw the batter she'd mixed onto a skillet where it hissed, sizzled and smelled great. “Most dungeons, that is what we'd have done. Wealthy families pay a lot of coin for dungeon portal locations, but this is the dungeon we know as the Eater of Children. Children go in, they do not come out. Nobody in my kingdom will pay for this dungeon portal's location.”

  “But you went in.”

  “Yes.” She flipped the hot cake. “I tell my people, 'we leave this dungeon rich, or we do not leave.' A merchant must be brave.”

  She put the hotcake on a plate and handed it to him. “Fifty dungeon coin. Very good deal.”

  Jeremy handed her the money, knowing from experience what she'd made for him would be very good.

  “How can I get Mana Enhanced Attack/Defense?” he asked through a mouthful of what tasted like a sweet, crispy pancake. Neither Flint nor Book had any good answers.

  “Easy,” Lard Lump answered. “Become fighter. Tell dungeon you want to change class since all fighters have Mana Enhanced Attack.”

  “But then I'd lose Sneak,” Jeremy said.

  “Yes.”

  “What if I became a Fighter/Rogue?” he asked. “Then I'd have Sneak and Mana-Enhanced Attack/Defence.”

  “No, no no,” Lard Lump said. “You would lose over half your levels. I met a Spellcaster/Fighter/Rogue once. After twenty years, he was only at level 4, and could do nothing well.”

  “Fine. So how do I get Mana Enhanced Attack while remaining a Rogue? It's just an active skill; it shouldn't be that hard to get.”

  Lard Lump looked into space, she seemed to be thinking. “It is part of the natural order that each class has limitations. Each character class gets one special Active Skill. Sneak, Mana Enhanced Attack, and Mana Channeling are given out by the dungeon. A high enough level spellcaster might be able to duplicate those Skills, but wouldn't bother as they have far more powerful magics at their disposal.”

  “Could a god give me the skill?” Jeremy asked. “I have the blessing of Arkys.”

  “Gods cannot violate the natural order,” Lard Lump said. “No. A god couldn't give a Mana-Enhanced Attack spell to a Rogue. Would you like another flat cake?”

  “No thanks,” Jeremy stood up. He'd lost his appetite. Besides, he was out of dungeon coin.

  He left the safe room, disappointed, wondering how many other limitations had been placed on his character class.

  Jeremy could tell the dungeon he wanted to become a fighter or spellcaster. Spellcaster would theoretically be his best option once he leveled it up enough. But he was a rogue. He thought like a rogue and fought like a rogue. Changing his class didn't feel right.

  Jeremy felt a rumble underneath the ground in front of the kobold's safe room. Curious, he waited to see what would happen.

  Soon, a particularly large rat burrowed its way out of the ground. The five kobolds left the safe room to do battle, carrying swords and long spears. With a loud hiss, the rat attacked, sending Stone and Dragon flying. Snake jabbed it with a long spear, presumably with a mana-enhanced attack, but the rat dodged at the last second. The other two kobolds attacked, stabbing and cutting its sides, doing minimal damage.

  “You could help if you want,” Shark said, dodging a slash from the rat's hind leg and stumbling over a piece of dungeon floor.

  “Are you sure?” Jeremy asked. “It came after you, so it's your monster. I don't want to take your experience.”

  “No no, it okay,” Shark said, backing away from the rat and looking frightened. “We don't mind.”

  “Okay.” Jeremy charged forward, jumping high in the air, kicking the rat's neck, the rat's head whipped around biting at Jeremy, its teeth missing him by millimeters as he pushed against to rat's body to get away. The rat tried to bite him a second and third time. The kobolds took advantage of the rat's attention on Jeremy to run forward and stab and slash at its sides. The rat's long tail caught Shark and sent him flying.

  Jeremy dodged once, then again, the third time he anticipated the rat's attack, kicking it on the side of its head. Stunning it for an instant, he ran in, wrapping his arms around its neck and yanking it off its feet, ignoring the crushing weight of the rat's body on top of him while squeezing the rat's neck harder and harder. The kobolds stabbed the rat again and again in its tender belly as the rat's struggles grew weaker and finally ceased. Jeremy released his death grip on the rat's neck and pushed himself out from underneath. The dungeon loot, as always with the rats, was disappointing; he'd gotten twenty dungeon coin, and when the rat was reabsorbed into the dungeon, a healing potion appeared.