I, still, could hardly believe that I had managed to not totally mess up! The kobold could hear me talking to it somehow! It could talk back to me! This was fantastic!

Actually, didn’t it make sense in the end that I would have some way of being able to communicate with any monsters I created? How else was a Dungeon Core supposed to direct them about and tell them what to do? It turned out that my weird instinct that I should be able to talk to my monsters somehow had been right, even though at the time it had just felt like I wasn’t thinking things through enough.

And so I had been beating myself up over nothing at all. Like an absolute idiot.

The problem now was that I had no idea how I was managing to talk to the kobold. It didn’t seem like it could hear every single thing I was thinking or saying to myself, it certainly didn’t seem to have any reaction to me calling myself an idiot after all. In fact, the creature was only continuing to wander around the room, huffing and stomping its little feet as it seemingly searched for me.

The hole leading back to the tunnel where my core lay was small, and low to the ground as well. The monster probably wouldn’t notice it unless it went crawling around on the ground. I hadn’t made the tunnel any larger so that it would be difficult for the badgers to follow after me, but now that I looked at the creature I had summoned, I realized it was also much too narrow for the kobold as well.

Badgers and kobolds seemed to have surprisingly similar dimensions, though one was bipedal while the other wasn’t. Both badgers and kobolds seemed to be about the same width around, though kobolds appeared a bit more stretched out thanks to all that extra length in tail and lack of fluffy fur. If I made the tunnel big enough for the kobold to move around in then it would also end up big enough for the badgers to travel along, and even then the kobold would be forced wriggle about on its belly. That sounded like it would make it hard for the creature to get out and gather supplies for me, so the solution to that would be to dig the tunnel out even larger… But doing that would lead the badgers right to me… Why would they just ignore a suddenly, to them, massive tunnel?

Yet another stupid problem I had made for myself.

No, I didn’t need to focus on any of that at the moment. My only focus should be trying to figure out how to communicate with the kobold. I could figure out all the rest later, after I knew how to direct the thing about.

The monster made a frustrated noise and kicked a pebble that had been just a bit too large for me to eat. Then, crossing its arms over its chest, it sat down hard on the ground with an audible plopping sound. It looked adorably furious, and I found myself wanting to comfort it, but I didn’t know how.

“This is much the unfair… I am the locked in, called the cute, and can’t even be the fighting Cute Caller…” the kobold complained, practically pouting. Poor thing, if only I knew how it had even heard me calling it cute to begin with…

Had there been something different about those thoughts? Maybe I had put a bit more emphasis on them? It was possible that talking to the kobold was like when I tried talking to Inner Voice and directing my skills about… If that were the case then all I would need to do would be to focus on the thoughts a bit more, imagine them projecting outward, like I wanted them to be heard.

I could do this! I might have been the stupidest Dungeon Core in existence, but I had gotten in plenty of practice yelling at things in the short time I had been alive! This was just like that, all I needed to do was concentrate! Come on, kobold! Hear me! Listen to me! I’m right here!

“I’m right here!”

The kobold’s ears jerked first, lifting up as its eyes widened and it looked about, quickly getting to its feet to search for the source of the sound. “Yes, hello? Cute Caller? You are the here? I am not the seeing you!” it called out to me, sounding more excited than it did angry now. Maybe it was happier to not be alone than it was upset at all my calling it cute? I could only hope so, we needed to be able to work together after all.

“Well, I’m not actually right here right here… Like, I’m not in this room, but I am? Dammit, I’m not making any sense, am I?”

The kobold shook its head rapidly, ears flopping about adorably, and I projected the same heavy huffing sound the badgers made in response. Of course, I was too much of an idiot to communicate effectively. I was too nervous and excited to have something actually be able to talk back to me to keep calm enough to explain things. I needed to take it slowly and try again.

“My physical body is outside this room, but because I’m a Dungeon Core I can be everywhere in the dungeon at once… Do you know what a dungeon is?”

The kobold’s eyes had gone large, and they were already ridiculously large to begin with. Its mouth hung open for a moment as if in disbelief of what it had heard. After a brief pause, blinking rapidly as if trying to process what it had heard, the monster let out a series of wheezing squeaking sounds, shaking slightly with the noise.

“No no, this is too much the ridiculous. Cute Caller is the Core? That is too the silly! Dungeon is too much the small to be having the humour. Cute Caller must be something else, yes? So just be the showing yourself, and I promise not to be the fighting you.” the creature said, the edges of its mouth curled in a way that made it look amused.

I let out another heavy huff, projecting it outward so that the kobold could hear my annoyance with its reaction.

“I am the Dungeon Core, I swear it. I just made you myself, you’re my first monster. I made this room specifically so I could summon you.”

All traces of amusement left the kobold’s face as it looked around the room again, reaching up one clawed hand to touch the roots that dangled down from the ceiling. I had been lucky that the kobold I summoned wasn’t the exact height of the room. It looked to be on the more average side of the kobold height range, but looking at how easily it could touch the ceiling left me feeling a bit upset. I really needed to start making my dungeon bigger, and I needed to do it quickly. I didn’t like feeling like I was too small.

The creature walked in a wide circle, still running one hand over the roots as it did so. I was too confused about what it was doing to say anything. All I could do was watch, curious about what was running through the monster’s head. Was it studying the dungeon? Was it measuring the height? What was it thinking?

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After a moment the kobold let out a long breath, nodding its head before lowering its arm to rest at its side. “Yes… You are the Core… I am the seeing this now. This room is the exact height for the kobolds, yes? So Cute Caller is not the lying to me. Cute Caller is the truth-telling, and Cute Caller is being the Core.” it said, an odd tone to its voice as it spoke. The creature didn’t sound sad so much as it sounded resigned, as if accepting whatever its fate was.

I had no idea what it thought I was going to do with it, but hopefully whatever I ended up doing would be less terrible than what it was currently thinking.

“Don’t worry, you’re not going to be stuck in here forever, but I need to figure out what I do next before I let you out, okay?”

The kobold tipped its head, its ears flopping about as it did so. Somehow or another it seemed confused by what I had said to it, but I didn’t know what was so strange about my words. It was frowning again, the ridges over its larger eyes pulled down low, and it seemed to be thinking over what I had said. “The Core is needing to do the planning?” it asked, tone cautious and careful.

“Yeah, I summoned you to help me gather things from outside the dungeon and see what the world out there is like, but I didn’t think beyond that. See, a pair of badgers decided to live in the tunnel where the entrance is, and I don’t want to run them off or let them into the part where my core is, so I need to think of what to do.”

The kobold began making those wheezing squeaks again, and this time as it slapped its leg with apparent joy I came to the realization of what was happening: the creature was laughing, and it was laughing at what I had said to it.

I felt a cold wave of shame wash through me, followed by hot embarrassment and even hotter anger. Was I really that much of an idiot for keeping the badgers? What did this thing I had made think it was doing by laughing at me? I was a brand new dungeon! I was working with I had! How dare it laugh at me?!

Before I could express any of those words, however, the monster stopped its laughing and set its hands on its hips, a wide grin on its face. “I am being much the lucky kobold, yes? Core is much the clever and smart. Core is the using badgers as the free food source, yes? Of course the Core is not the wanting to run them off,” Tone heavy with amusement, the kobold wiped water away from its eye with the edge of one white claw. “I am to be the helping you do the thinking then. We will be the working together, yes?”

All sense of anger and shame vanished from me in an instant, replaced with surprise. The kobold hadn’t been laughing at me because it thought I was stupid… The kobold had been laughing because… It thought I was clever and smart? That couldn’t be right! I was an absolute idiot of a Dungeon Core! I was only doing the most obvious thing, right? I was too weak to kill the badgers, so I might as well allow them to live in me. They were a free source of mana, and since they were going to have a family I would just get even more later.

Plus, the badgers looked really strong to me. If anything came into the entrance to try to go after me I was sure they would protect me, if only to defend their own home.

“You think I’m smart?”

The disbelief must have been strong in the projected thought, because the kobold let out another wheezing squeak as it nodded. “Yes, I am the thinking that. Core is being much the smart here. Core could be getting lots of points and mana all at once if having the kobold to do the killing of badgers, but by being the patient the Core will have more things in the end. Is clever plan, yes?” It cocked its head to the side, grinning with an open mouth.

I had noticed that it looked vaguely up towards the ceiling to speak to me, probably because I didn’t have a physical form like it did. It was a pretty endearing trait. Overall I found my kobold to be pretty cute, but there was one thing about everything that it had said that bothered me a bit.

“How do you know so much about points and mana, huh?”

My kobold cocked its head again, this time in the opposite direction, large eyes blinking slowly in seeming disbelief. “I am the Dungeon-Made kobold, yes? So I am being the granted basic dungeon knowledge so I am to be the better for helping the Core.” The way it spoke those words made me feel like I should have already known all of that. How could it just build me up and make me feel smart and then tear me back down like that?

Was there something wrong with me then? I decided not to dwell on that, at least not for now. I had no idea how long the badgers would sleep for, and I needed to think of a plan for blocking off my current area.

“Well, I’m glad one of us knows how dungeons work then. Do you have any ideas on how to keep the badgers out of here?”

Once again my kobold seemed a bit surprised by what I had said to it, but rather than say anything right away it sank to the ground, legs crossed and tail thumping softly against the floor. It lifted a clawed hand to its chin, and the way it frowned made it appear to be deep in thought. It must be wracking its mind the same way I had been, trying to figure something out.

After a moment it looked up to the ceiling once more, breaking the silence. “Is the Core having unlocked decorations yet?” it asked.

Had I unlocked decorations? Hey, Inner Voice, have I unlocked decorations yet?

The Dungeon Core unlocked the ability to purchase Decoration Skills upon reaching the minimum size requirement.

That sounded like a yes to me! I hadn’t purchased any of them with my points yet, of course, but I had unlocked them! I must have done it earlier when I had ingested too much mana. Several things had happened all at once then, so I must have forgotten about it in my panic.

“Yeah! Inner Voice says I have the ability to buy Decoration Skills now!”

I could practically feel the confusion rolling off of my kobold. Had I said something strange again? Its face seemed furrowed, and its eyes darted around slightly, but despite looking like it wanted to ask me a question it merely continued as if nothing out of the ordinary had been said. “Well, all the Core has to be doing then is purchasing the [Door Building] skill, and then can be using the skill. Easy peasy.” it said.

Easy peasy, huh? I liked the sound of that. Hey, Inner Voice! How much does it cost to purchase [Door Building]?

[Door Building] will cost 25 points to purchase.

Oh hell no. That was nearly all the points I had, and I still had no idea how to even gain those! Sure, according to the kobold I could just eat the badgers for points, but there was no way I was going to do that! Not only would I be losing my free food source, but I would also be erasing the whole reason I even needed to purchase the new skill in the first place!

Besides… I kind of liked having the badgers around… They made things less quiet, and I never knew what they would do or how it might affect me. After all, it was only thanks to Papa Badger that I had even gained [Room Building]…

Wait a second… I could gain skills without purchasing them just by going through the process of doing them on my own. I had physically dug out the first bit of tunnel and had gained [Tunneling], and then because a room had been dug out I gained [Room Building]. So didn’t it follow that if I went and built a door I would somehow gain [Door Building]?

It was worth a shot, right? What was the worst that could happen? I failed and had to spend all those points to purchase the skill anyway? I was sure I had time to test it out and see what would happen, both badgers seemed to be deep asleep for now.

“Hey… New plan. We’re going to try to build a door ourselves.”

My kobold looked up, yellow eyes perfectly round, and then a slow smile pulled its mouth open until it hung in a wide grin. “You really are being the sneaky and clever Core. You are the trying to get skill without the purchase, yes? I am the thinking we will be getting along much the greatly.”