Yes, weird voices that rambled on in my head, how smart you must be to figure it all out. I was feeling good since the nearly healed me in full. Turned out that scrolls used the user's mana to cast and also likely the stats as well. It had confused and angered me at first because I thought it was like a more powerful , but those things were the weakest version of the spell and only needed the touch of mana to activate. That was what I guessed since my perk, which I figured was useless, had now activated.

Voices, you're worrying me with how much you were talking. It was enough to make my head hurt! Are you done? They calmed down for now but I was still wary since I didn’t like hearing dozens of voices speaking over each other inside my head. The little lists and alerts on the cube were much nicer.

I stretched my arms and legs and even my tail. For some reason I felt good, like really good. Hmm? ...Why was I white!? My scales had changed from the mottled brown or reddish brown that all kobolds here were born with to a fairly pleasant shade of bluish-white. I actually liked it a lot more than the dirty brown I had been.

Kekeke, now Snep had nothing on me! It wasn't like I wanted to be the prettiest kobold, but wouldn't it be bad if I did have minions that were prettier? Really, we could all be the ugliest as long as I was the least ugly. I glanced at Chion and nodded to myself, he was the perfect example of a chief minion in that regards.

The fact of Snep's traitorous thoughts and that other dumb minions were jealous of my position frustrated me. Truly I was a benevolent kobold since I didn't unassign them all and kill them permanently. Still, it wasn't a big problem as long as I stayed the strongest or had good minions like Chion.

Although if he rebelled I might be in trouble...

The sight of him snuggling into his nest while peeking one eye at me banished that thought. Such a lazy minion would never do such a thing. "Master, you okay?"

"I'm fully healed, the scroll is much better than a rune. It takes too much mana to create, but casting was far easier. How could I get scrolls cheaper," I wondered. Could I make a room for it? Give a kobold a class that involves making them? I did see and somewhere in the dungeon lists.

"No, you real okay? All white now, scary eyes."

"Really?" He nodded slowly. I stared at Chion and reached for my [Intimidate] skill. Most skills it seemed you had to call the name out to activate, at least of the few I had seen, but [Intimidate] was something I just had to think about activating. I wasn't sure why but I made sure to remember it. Just because the spells the Chieftain threw at me or the attack skill the goblins used had to be called didn't mean that there wasn't a skill that could make them silent. Scary, scary, an enemy who could silently throw arrows of fire or sneakily [Stab] you like that.

Chion jumped back and rolled out of his nest, his claws having pulled out his daggers in a roll. I immediately cancelled the skill and he visibly relaxed. "Why scare!?"

It would probably be bad if I said it was on a whim, right? "You said scary eyes, I wanted to know how scary. How was it?"

"Master, please don't scare." Chion dove back onto his nest and mumbled, "Scary at first look, like big white monster with death eyes. Fear passed after moment, but still scary look until turn off."

So it was only really effective for the first use but maintaining it wasn't as good? Thinking back to when the foxes used the skill on me Chion was right. It was only level one but it would be good to level up. Maybe I should use it on my dumb minions? Chion eyed me as if reading my mind and shook his head slowly.

"Young ones might die."

"They revive, but you're right. I'm not that mean," I said with a small snort. Chion muttered something but I ignored him. I had very little mana and a lot of things to do that needed it. Were there even things to do that didn't require mana? Training and fighting were simple and probably useful since I had made a training room. Could a level one [Trainer] even teach me anything?

Speaking of classes, I pulled up the dungeon's status to see just who all had a class. It wasn't that I didn't want surprises, but that I wanted to know who was useful. Naming every creature that got a class so far was... it would be hard, probably, beyond the first floor. Should I push that duty off to Chion?

>5 / 18 MP

>3 Spirits

>Floor One: 1 Core Room, 1 Entrance Room, 1 Kobold Lair, 1 Rosefur Fox Den, 1 Kobold Training Area

>1 Blessed Kobold [Dungeon Master], 1 Kobold [Trapper], 1 Kobold [Sneak], 1 Kobold [Trainer], 4 Kobolds, 4 Rosefur Fox Cub [Rascal], 1 Rosefur Matriarch [Guardian]

I choked and even forgot to throw the core across the room like I would've. My dumb foxes all had a class now!? Was it the hobgoblin chieftain? It was the Chieftain, huh. Helping take down such a powerful foe must've let them all gain a class somehow. I didn't want to look at their skills or stats because it would make me think less of my kobold minions.

Thinking back on the fight, most of the goblins and hobgoblins were handled by Chion and Snep, although I finished all every one of the hobgoblins. A couple of kobolds scored a single kill, but that wasn't enough to get a class? It would probably let them get one by training quicker than if they didn't.

I sat in my fox fur nest, the echoes of excited kobolds and wooden weaponry coming from down the hall, staring at the clear cube . The goblin raid had taught me a lot, stuff I had been thinking on for hours now, and in the end I came to the same conclusion: my first floor was awful.

Past me wasn't dumb, it was just current me was smarter and has experienced more. My minions were good, that wasn't something I failed on, but the dungeon itself was a problem. My entrance room had a chest in it, useful and awful because it gives invaders treasure and a reason to come in. Now that I knew that the treasure would stay with the dungeon if I killed them I should make chests in good rooms for better stuff.

I need invaders to come and die for the dungeon to grow, to get more spirit points, which likely came from strong invaders since I got one for each hobgoblin. The was useful where it was because what invader would care about it, the being in the center and first line of defense. The trapped hallway was... it wasn't all that useful. It had weak traps and the best one was in plain sight. I was going to fix that but there was nothing I could do about the wood weapon traps.

Right now it was the that frustrated me because it didn't defend the . Entirely my fault, of course, but still frustrating. I still didn't have a way to move or destroy rooms and If I made a room behind the fox den then what would I do with the empty room?

It came down to leaving the foxes off in a useless room or having an empty useless room. Empty useless room it was! After witnessing a classless Matriarch savage that powerful hobgoblin what else could I summon that was of equal power to protect my core?

...I opened the list just to make sure. Okay, good, it was the same with the exception that now I could also summon goblins. No hobgoblins though so that was probably an upgrade for a room like the Matriarch was. Or it was a class, I had no clue how hobgoblins worked. Were they just adult goblins?

With the weird thing with my [Draconic Ancestry] perk earlier I had gained a new skill. Kekeke, it was an incredible sounding skill, [Healing Breath]! That scroll didn't heal me entirely, there were still some warped scales on my sides and my tail ached, but I didn't want to waste any mana on such simple things.

It wasn't that I liked being hurt, okay? My mana was simply far too valuable and I had priorities, such as creating a new . With the wisdom increase I got my mana was recovering one every fifteen or so minutes!

Chion eyed me as I got up and began heading off to the fox den. Before I left though I asked, "Just going to sleep all day? The dumb ones are busy training without you."

He waved a claw lazily and curled up. "Sleep is my training. Let new one handle. Trald? Is his class."

"Hope it ends up being a good class." I left Chion and kept note that both he and Snep still needed their rewards. Kobold rooms were lit by torches or the fire pit, mainly to keep the air comfortable to us because we could see perfectly fine in the dark, but I always enjoyed the fox den. Warm sunlight, the pleasant grass and dumb foxes to kick around when I felt like it.

The Matriarch loomed over her cubs as they played, her presence drawing my eye naturally. She had a class, one that didn't sound simple or low, and when she turned her head to me I paused. It was always a curious thing at how a class changed a dungeon creature. Maybe it was like that for everybody, but I didn't feel like I could call the Matriarch a dumb fox anymore. The cubs on the other claw were still stupid despite getting classes as one bit down a little too hard while playing and the other cub went limp. The Matriarch bent down and picked up the killer cub in its maw and held it there as it squirmed and whined.

I understand your pain, Matriarch, I really do. At the back of the den I created a short corridor and another simple room before designating it the . The tension I felt lessened as the core was behind yet another defense. Would I ever feel safe? One floor, three floors, ten floors, how far did I need to go before I didn't have to worry about invaders?

Probably not long if I kept fighting the invaders myself. With just enough mana left for some food and berries I bought my meal, with two different kind of berries instead of my usual, and ate in peace inside the fox den. Watching dumb foxes play-murder each other was soothing. Eating and watching my kobolds train would be just as soothing but they were far less cute.

I slowly stopped chewing my goblin meat, a decidedly chewier meat over the tender fox meat but still delicious, as a came. And then it went. Then came again, and went again. Nothing after that so I scarfed down my meat and headed toward the entrance while munching on my berries. They were tangy and sour over the overly sweet .

Chion, my loyal chief minion, was asleep so I kicked him to wake him up. He cracked an eye, waited for me to finish my berries because I found out I really enjoyed sour things, and I pointed at the entrance. "Two alerts came and left. Two things came in and died."

He got up and stretched before following me to the entrance room. I did note that doing this kind of thing, checking on invaders like this, was definitely not something a [Dungeon Master] should do. Ordering minions to go check it out and getting a report was what I should've done, but I was curious and I brought Chion.

I opened the door, not bothering to peek since there was nothing invading, and saw Mudthorn sitting in front of the archway with a massive bug by her. It was bloated, a blackish purple, with torn wings and a really long mouth like a needle. It buzzed softly but was bleeding from stab wounds.

"There you are," said Mudthorn before breaking the bug's body and tossing it into the dungeon. An alert whisked through my mind before quieting as the bug died and the dungeon began absorbing it. What was I going to do with really big bugs? I flexed my claws at the sight of my friendly goblin. No, that was wrong, we weren't friends. There was a goblin word for enemies in agreement over something, so we were exactly that.

That fact wasn't lost on the goblin as she stayed outside the barrier, hand over a pile of random stuff, eyeing me closely. Chion stayed near the door, claws on the handles of his daggers, and I approached the archway. "Here I am."

Mudthorn shifted, glanced around the swamp, and idly thumbed her bone spear. The spear she got from our deal. "Still have agreement? I bring stuff and you give better reward?"

"Was it better stuff? You already have some armor and a spear."

"It was better stuff!" she said with a growl before taking a deep breath. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry."

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

An apology made things slightly better. "Sorry for what?"

"You mad, I get it. Many goblins come, right? It my fault," she said throwing her hands in the air. "That why you so angry?"

I wasn't sure if I was feeling or acting angry, so I turned to Chion. "Am I angry?"

Chion shrugged. "Master always angry at something."

I kicked him for that, denying and agreeing with it all the same. There was a lot to be mad about, alright? Invaders, the dungeon, dumb minions, invaders, the interface lists, skills and classes, invaders. I always knew that my dungeon would be attacked, but for some reason it did, in fact, make me angrier when Mudthorn admitted it.

"Okay, your fault, I understand. It was a lot of strong goblins, you had no choice, huh?"

Mudthorn got up and dusted off her tunic. "Was tell other goblins where get good stuff or give my stuff."

"That... they were strong! Why didn't they take your stuff anyway?" I asked genuinely curious.

"Lots of goblins here now, big gathering of tribes. They Rocktooth tribe, my tribe bigger and stronger. My chieftain [Shaman], but theirs [Dabbler] still. Was. They dead?" she asked.

I snorted, "Of course they're dead, or else I'd be dead."

"No? Dungeon creatures come back?" Her eyes widened a bit as she understood something. I clacked my fangs and ordered Chion to go get the core for me. He hesitated a moment but obeyed. "Won't tell, swear!"

"It isn't important anyway if invaders know. If they get a chance to kill me then the dungeon is already dead," I said annoyed anyway. "So what did you bring anyway to trade with? I don't need useless things."

Mudthorn perked up and grabbed a really big black claw along with a bright red gem. "I got red shiny rock, big snake fang, and magic flowers for best stuff."

That was a fang!? I tried to imagine a snake that was as large as the Matriarch but couldn't. Literally, my mind told me what a snake was but I had no basis for it. It still sounded horrifying. This time I was at a loss because what Mudthorn had to offer sounded useful. "Good, very good, but what do you want for them?"

"...You have magic?"

Chion came back and gave me the core. I had barely six mana between me and the core since I had just made a room and eaten. "Little items that cast weaker spells one time."

"Not... what word, enchat?" Mudthorn struggled to think and it was at times like these that I thanked the dungeon for its weird language gifts.

"Enchanted," I corrected. "No, if I did you think we wouldn't have them?"

"But, you must have good magic. You changed!" accused Mudthorn. "Was mud, now really pretty white. Still know is you because still scary kobold, but..."

Why did everyone seem to think I was scary and angry all the time? I was a perfectly calm and peaceful kobold! "That's because I'm a [Dungeon Master]. Anything else? I have lots of things, probably."

"Then, um, potions?"

Ah, I did have those, didn't I? Still expensive, just like the magic runes, but they held different effects and names than spells. "Still expensive, worth five spears, but yes I have weak potions."

This... this whole conversation suddenly struck me as odd. When I first met Mudthorn she was like one of my new minions, something I could crush in my claws even with her attack skill. When she came back she was still dumb, but now she had changed. I glanced between Chion and Mudthorn, and instinct told me they were roughly the same strength.

My instincts hadn't lied to me before.

Mudthorn's spear was chipped and ragged and her tunic and cap were far from pristine. She asked, "Five bone spears, really?" Not bone spears, just the wooden ones. "Then, I give everything for two potions?"

Even with my really good mana recovery two potions would take over six hours to get enough for. The snake fang would maybe give me a snake room or something nice, the gem I didn't care about at all but it was shiny, and the magic flowers interested me. I questioned if they were truly magical, but they glowed a soft blue so maybe.

"Take several hours to get two potions. You know what kind of potion you want?" I asked.

"I can choose?" Mudthorn sounded amazed. "Really, really? Then, maybe healing one and fast one?"

I browsed the list and the only healing one sounded like the . As for a fast potion there were two. "Attack fast or run fast?"

"Run fast, please," pleaded Mudthorn. "A lot of big monsters. Have to run if can't hide or fight."

"Several hours to wait then. Outside looks dangerous, you can wait inside here if you want," I said.

Mudthorn squinted at me. "It safer in dungeon?"

I clacked my fangs and stayed quiet. Was I so easy to read? "I have things to do, I'm very busy. Do whatever goblins do then and come back later."

She nodded, scooped up all her things, and walked off.

"Trade not go well?" asked Chion. Right, he couldn't understand goblin speak.

"No, it went well enough, just her rewards are far more expensive this time. I think she's about your level now, she's a lot smarter than before." No matter how clever she becomes I still need her until I get a way to gather things outside the dungeon on my own. I'd rather bargain with Mudthorn than have to deal with invaders to get those things.

We walked back to the lair as I thought about what to do for hours. I didn't lie, I was busy, but everything I needed to do involved mana and with it promised away I was actually free. Chion went back to his nest to curl up. "Don't you get tired of being lazy?"

"Good thing if can be lazy, mean not fighting and dying," he said as if obvious.

I flexed my claws feeling annoyed at that. I had a lot of energy I needed to release, probably due to that anger I didn't have, so I headed off to the training room. Let's go see what my dumbest minions were doing. The lack of doors was still something I wanted to work on, just another thing I needed more mana for, when I entered.

Kobolds practicing their various weapons and striking targets with dedication to become stronger was something that wasn't going on. Instead, all of my minions were crowded around the table I had made, although they had moved it to the center of the room.

Trald sat on one side and a nameless kobold on the other, the weird board with grooves and stone discs between them, as they played. Everyone immediately froze when they noticed me, but I waved a claw for them to continue and they hesitantly did.

"If move here, you jump over, and piece yours. Take off board," explained Trald as he demonstrated with a gray stone moving over a white stone before moving the stones back and letting the kobold do it. The kobold then took the white stone and set it aside.

Trald moved a white stone, I guessed they were his pieces since most were on his side of the board, diagonally one space. He put it directly next to a gray stone. Wouldn't that mean the kobold can take that piece? That was exactly what the kobold did and cheered along with another kobold standing behind him.

Although I had put the game items on the table for kobolds to use whenever all the weapons or targets were being used, I didn't expect everyone to be distracted by it, let alone to invent a way to use them so soon. "You figured out how to play?"

Trald nodded and continued to slowly play his side into the kobold's pieces. Was he intentionally losing? "Class gave skill [Basic Knowledge], let me know how to use things I touch. Not very good, only enough to know."

I grinned and clapped him on the shoulders. "That's great! Useful skill, what was the other one?"

His shoulders tightened as he stared at the board. "[Posture]. Is stupid skill."

The game finished with the kobold winning, Trald obviously had given the game up as he taught it. It was a simple game it seemed, each person with ten stones moving diagonally across the board. I gestured for the kobold to get up, which he did in a hurry, and I sat across from Trald.

"No skill is stupid." I reset the board and looked to him. Snep was skulking around behind other kobolds just on the edge of my vision. Must she always be so sneaky? "Which goes first?"

Trald moved a white piece and I responded with a gray piece. We played a whole game, one I won if only because he explained the rules to me as we did and gave me easy pieces while teaching. Was it his class that made him like that? I didn't think any other kobold would willingly lose so easily. His movements, if I compared them to others, were more... clear than others. All except mine, naturally, but there was a way he picked up the stone and spoke that was pleasant.

"Two good skills and a good class," I said after another game, which I won again although this time he didn't give it to me. This was actually really fun! He gave me a look and I reset the board. "Try to win seriously now."

I trounced him and only lost four stones to his nine. Apparently you also lost if you couldn't make any moves. Snep pushed Trald out of the chair, which he flailed about in surprise since he didn't hear her walk up, and she quickly reset the board. "My turn. Ready to lose?"

"Kekeke, talking to yourself?"

The hours passed as we played the game of stones. I did lose a couple times to Snep only because she played really fast which made me play faster so I made mistakes. Trald had started to teach the other kobolds how to use those dice, I missed the details because Chion's curiosity got the better of him and he joined. I used my not-gut feeling to guess how much mana I had and took a moment to buy a potion when I had just enough and then bought the second one when I could later.

"She must be cheat, how can win so many times?" complained Snep to Chion just as I beat her again. Ah, the feeling of winning without risking my life was amazing. I should invest into more games for this room. Training with weapons? Was there such a reason?

"Because she Master," was all Chion said.

I laughed, grabbed the core and headed back to the entrance room. I was late by an hour but Mudthorn didn't know that. She was there, waiting at the edge of the archway, looking more ruffled than before. Blood coated the blade of her spear and she tapped her hand on her leg.

"About time! I wait so long fox came and attacked me," she said.

"Cub?" Mudthorn nodded. "Where's the body?"

She pointed at a gory mess further down the swamp. "Was hungry. Got potions?"

I held in my claw two stone cups with a lid of hide tightened around the tops. My guess was that you needed to tear off the hide or poke a hole it in to drink from them. "A and . The one with black juice on it is the recovery potion."

I had a bought some more darkberries and the potions looked the same so I marked it. Clearly I was far too kind and thoughtful, but Mudthorn didn't think so from her expression. "Energy burst sound dangerous."

"It said it made you move quicker, I don't know how." The interface's lack of detailed descriptions struck again, it saying the obvious like 'it's a potion of energy to move faster. She had wanted one to move quicker, although I would've preferred the . Twenty-five mana was too much to toy around with just to test potions though, and even then too much for trading unless for really good items.

Mudthorn tossed all the stuff she had brought through the barrier before I carefully tossed the potions to her. She caught them and while they were small to carry in hand, they were too big to fit in a leather loop. Mudthorn frowned before smiling brightly at me. "Hey, can I get belt? We friends and I bring better stuff next time."

There was a hide belt for five mana, which would put me at two and make me feel nasty and dizzy, but I grumbled quietly because I still needed Mudthorn. I bought it and threw it angrily at Mudthorn. "It'll be part of your next deal."

It had loops just the right size to put the potion cups in, the shape of the cups being that they could be put in from the top of the loop but hang safely. Unless, of course, something hit them or Mudthorn tripped. Not my problem though. "Now go on and don't be telling any more tribes about me!"

She winced. "No more, okay."

I whirled on her and wished the barrier didn't stop my claws inches from her face. I hissed, "Who else?"

"My tribe, honest. Chieftain smart, think deals and trade better than invading. I'm messenger, but he might visit soon." The fear in her eyes satisfied me for the moment and I relented.

"Fine, if that's all." I went to grab the bundle of stuff but noticed it was already gone. Dungeon, please at least let me see what you eat before you do so. What was all the not-best stuff? I glared at Mudthorn who turned and ran off. I really wanted to dig my claws into something.

I kicked the core down the hall and quickly made my way back to the training room. Chion was about as strong as Mudthorn, right?