"No, no, no." Dave shook his head, taking a seat on the floor across from me. "You can't let him grow his own little plant pets because little pets become big pets and it'll be the Living Trees all over again." He gave me a pointed look. "Don't think I didn't hear how you found a loophole in that quest. Exterminating their rage, really?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." I gave him my best innocent look as I leaned back against the warm hearth behind me. "If you don't like plant pets, then maybe plant golems with buffs who can run around spreading their awesomeness to the rest of the plant life."

Cole laughed. "I feel like you'd enjoy that more than Marvin. Honestly though, plant pets aren't a terrible idea as long as they only level as the adventurer levels."

"Ohhh, now there's a good idea." I leaned my head back, smiling up at him as he twisted the flames in the hearth into intricate designs. "Maybe it could be a secondary path like my Slime Friend title gave me."

Dave sighed. "If we're going to do that, we might as well let people pick two classes. One that's more focused on fighting and one that's not. That way if people change their minds about how they should make their way through the dungeon, they don't need to start over entirely."

We'd been going back and forth like this for what felt like hours, not really coming to any solid decisions. There were just too many ways to go and each had an up side and a down side to it. I turned the ember shard in my hands over, watching Fiona and Marvin sleeping in the meadow. Cole had promised they were fine, but seeing them for myself made it much easier to take the time to sort this out properly.

"Okay, let's start at the beginning," I said. "Plants need sunlight to grow and recharge. Why don't we make some kind of sun-based recharge skill?"

Dave raised an eyebrow. "Like how a cat naps in the sun and wakes up all refreshed?"

"Wait, are there cats in the dungeon?" I reeled around to stare at Cole. "Please tell me there are cats. We could make a whole pet-based class for people."

"Do cat monsters count?" Cole asked. "Because I think monster tamer would be a very cool class. Kind of like what you've been doing, but on purpose."

I grinned. "Yeah, let's do that for sure."

"And what about the plant mage?" Dave asked, tapping his hooves against the smooth stone floor. "We can't keep them sleeping forever."

"Right." I slumped back down, focusing on the ember in my hands. Marvin and Fiona were both counting on me to do this, whether they knew it or not. "Okay, how did you pick things for my Culinary Mage class? Maybe we can start there."

Dave leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Yeah, Cole, tell her how we picked things for her class."

He focused on the flames, ignoring the satyr so much that it made me very curious. I stood up, wandering over by Cole until I was so close that he couldn't ignore me. He glanced at me, then away, then back, until he finally sighed.

"Fine. I'll tell you." He took his hands out of the fire and crossed his arms. "I just went with whatever sounded interesting."

Dave snorted. "You mean whatever Hazel thought sounded interesting. He basically made the entire class based on what you were excited about. Honestly, I knew he was in love with you way before he did. It was so obvious."

"Dave!" Cole shouted before waving a hand at me. "Ignore him, he's just being ridiculous."

"Right, yeah, of course." I held my hand against my chest. It felt like butterflies were dancing in my stomach, fluttering and making me all tingly. "Let's go with the rule of cool then."

"The rule of cool?" Dave asked. "I'm not familiar with that one."

The backs of my palms were sweaty and my face felt like I'd been standing over a bonfire. Which I kind of was. I backed away, leaning against the cooler outer wall of the chamber. I knew Cole liked me, but love? It was way too soon for that. I'd only just realized I liked him back. I couldn't go around using words like that so casually. Not even if he did make my heart beat faster whenever he came by me. Nope. Not even then.

Cole flipped through invisible menus. "The rule of cool isn't in here anywhere, but I'm guessing you just go with whatever sounds fun?"

I swallowed hard, determined not to let them see how much that love talk was throwing me off.

"Basically, we should start with whatever sounds the coolest," I said, taking a deep calming breath. "Then we can decide what we need to set up to get there."

Dave nodded. "That's a good plan. You're a lot more sensible than I gave you credit for."

"Gee, thanks." I rolled my eyes at him. "So what are some cool plant abilities? Sun healing? Vine attacks? Faster growth?"

Cole tapped his fingers against his thigh. "What if we gave him multiple skill options to choose from with some that focus on combat and others that focus on non-combat options? Like carnivorous plants on one side and calming flowers on the other. Then he could get a mix of both kinds of skills, but focus on the area he wants to go after most."

Dave grinned. "Now you're talking. That would give people more options without having to reset their class. I've learned that making choices is important for life."

"And what choices have you been making?" I asked, tilting my head. "Cole said you've been off on vacation?"

"Yeah, doing totally normal things." Dave scratched his horns, staring at a corner of the room with nothing in it. "Soooo anyway, I like the plan. Let's start with something simple like a growth skill and an emotional skill like the calming flowers. Both of those can evolve into combat or non-combat things, depending on how he uses them."

As we dove into the specifics, we realized that this would probably work for every class. A blacksmith could be a craftsman and a warrior, depending on how they used their skills. Same with a baker like me or a seamstress even, though that one sounded a bit scarier. As long as it gave people more options, I was all for it. Enough of the tiny box that only a few people fit into.

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"Why did you make the dungeon like this anyway?" I asked Cole. "It's so rigid, only focused on fighting. What does fighting have to do with souls resting?"

"It's how the dungeon was when I got here, so I just kind of kept doing it that way. The god who introduced me to the system told me that fighting and getting stronger made souls feel like they accomplished something. When an enemy was difficult to defeat, it made it all the more exciting when the soul eventually won. By the time they got to the 100th floor, they were so full of pride that they were ready to move on to their next life feeling like they earned every bit of it."

"That makes some sense," I said softly, "but how often do people actually get to floor 100?"

"More often than you'd think." Cole took a deep breath. "I know you don't like the system, but it's worked pretty well for the most part. No, it doesn't fit everyone, but it works great for the majority. I never realized how unfair that was until you came along though. What works for one person shouldn't have to be what everyone else does. Every soul deserves a chance to feel accomplished in their own way, whether that's through fighting or baking or even gardening."

"Or drinking," Dave added with a sly smile. "Don't forget about making the alcohol taste good around here."

I grinned. "Wait, don't tell me you went off on some drunken adventure? No, you're Dave the rule-following tutorial guy. My entire world-view is shattered."

He shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a satyr of many mysteries." He raised his eyebrows. "We should make a distiller class."

Cole ran a hand over his face. "Really, Dave?"

"Hey, they work hard too," I said with a grin. "Why not make a class out of it?"

And from there we devolved into making up dozens of classes, laughing and joking all the while. It was nice spending time with the two of them like this. We still had a long way to go, but at the very least, we'd come up with a class for Marvin, which meant it was time to head back to the meadow where we'd left him and Fiona.

Cole and I walked through the doorway leading to the training grounds. The stone statue was slumped over in the grass beside Marvin and Fiona who were sleeping soundly, soft smiles on their faces like they were having the best dreams ever. Cole was right. They were perfectly fine. I let out a breath, lying down next to them so they wouldn't notice anything was amiss.

"Okay, I'm ready." I smiled up at Cole. "Wake us up, Sweet Potato."

He blinked faster, opening his mouth and closing it like he didn't know what to say as a rosy hue swept across his face. It reminded me of when those system messages had turned pink instead of blue. How had it taken me so long to put all of that together? Everything about Cole reminded me of Sweet Potato. They were both easily flustered, adorable, and fun to talk to. Knowing the truth made everything make so much more sense and I was happy he'd felt comfortable sharing it with me.

He was my Sweet Potato from now on, even if I had to keep it a secret for now. I shifted into a more comfortable position in the grass, feeling a little guilty about not telling Fiona, but it was for the best. I'd never seen her happier than when she met that blacksmith and started forging, so giving her the opportunity to get a blacksmithing class was really important. It's the life she wanted and that had to help on her way to her next life, right?

I glanced up at Cole who was toying with the flames again, curling them into beautiful forms. I wasn't sure what a new life would hold for me, but for now, I was really enjoying this one. I couldn't wait to help adventurers find their true passion, bake wonderful food, and learn even more about Sweet Potato. Yup, this in-between life sounded pretty damn good.

Fiona mumbled something incoherent next to me. She rubbed her eyes, staring blearily at me for a moment, before surging to her feet. "What's going on? Is everyone okay?"

"I think so?" I got up to join her, moving slowly as if I had been asleep this whole time too. "That was so weird, but it looks like everything's fine now. Maybe I didn't break anything this time."

"Right and those failure messages were just for show." Fiona rolled her eyes as she hauled Marvin up. "What about you? You good?"

He patted himself down, as if he expected to be injured or something, then nodded. "I think so?"

"Good!" The dragon statue stretched its tiny arms wide with a yawn. "Sleep is fun. Time to work now though." Smudge turned to Marvin, eyes glowing bright. "Time to test your weapon."

"My weapon?" He lifted his arm, staring at the gardening trowel gripped tightly in his fist. "Oh, right. I picked this up a little bit ago, but how do I use it?"

The dragon statue paused, scratching its belly and staring up at the sky. "Dig?"

I tried not to laugh as the little statue wrapped its mind around how to train with a gardening trowel. Cole walked over, moving closer enough to whisper. "He'll figure it out."

"I hope so." I glanced sideways at Cole, who was smiling. "What's got you so happy?"

He shrugged. "Just enjoying being here with you and seeing a new thing about to happen. We did this. Together."

Warmth spread through my chest as we watched Marvin dig a small hole in the ground and plant a seed the statue gave him. His hands glowed green and the seed sprouted violently from the ground, shooting vines up that wrapped around Marvin like a cocoon.

"He-help!" he shouted, struggling against the vines. When Fiona ran over to cut him down, he shook his head. "Wait, I don't think they're trying to hurt me. It actually kind of tickles. Wait, they're hugging me?"

Marvin laughed and patted the vines. They released him, moving as if they had a mind of their own and he could somehow understand them.

"Did we do that?" I whispered to Cole. "I don't remember us doing that."

Cole shrugged. "You never know what's going to happen with new skills. That's half the fun. Trial and error."

I stood there watching Marvin go from confused to terrified to absolutely thrilled each time he planted something and tested out the skills of this class. Eventually he turned to Smudge with a serious look on his face.

"I'd like to take this class." He held the trowel against his chest. "I think I'm going to like it a lot."

The little dragon cheered, fluttering through the air in circles dropping confetti. "Yes! He likes the class!"

"Congratulations." Fiona clapped him on the back. "Now we can start training all over again."

Marvin groaned. "Not that. Anything but that." He glanced at the various plants he'd grown. "Well, maybe that. As long as the training involves gardening. I am a Botanical Mage now after all."

"A botanical mage, huh?" I grinned. "That sounds pretty amazing. Maybe you can grow some flowers around the cafe for me and make things even more beautiful."

"I can absolutely do that!" Marvin nodded quickly. "I bet the dirt slimes would love it too. We should go tell them the good news."

"Really?" I smiled, patting him on the back. "You've come a long way from the terrified adventurer we met on floor 5. I'm proud of you."

He dipped his head, smiling. "Thank you."

Fiona ruffled his hair. "Come on, let's go celebrate. You earned it."

"Ohhh, we should throw a party at the cafe!" I grabbed Cole's arm, grinning. "We could invite everyone we've gotten to know so far and celebrate all the new things about to happen."

Cole smiled softly. "And what new things are those?"

Shoot. I was supposed to be keeping the class changes a secret for now until he alerted the entire dungeon.

"Marvin's new class," I said, "and my cafe upgrade! I'm super close to expanding the first floor."

Fiona nodded. "Sounds good to me. Let me know what I can help with."

"Are you sure?" Marvin asked, wringing his hands. "You don't need to go through all that trouble just for me."

"Trouble? Pretty sure that's my job." I grinned, opening a dungeon door back to the cafe. "A party will be fun for everyone and a good way to show off my cafe, so all you need to do is have fun and show us all the cool new skills you got."

Fiona pulled him into the dungeon corridor. "Think you can handle that?"

"I think so," he said softly. "I'm really glad I met all of you."

Me too. I didn't know what I would have done if Fiona hadn't found me in that tree surrounded by crispy cluckers or if Cole hadn't taken an interest in my strange class. I linked my arm through Cole's, strolling side by side through the corridor. I was lucky to have found all of them and couldn't wait to see what the future held for us.