The first room I encountered was a large box with touches providing only dim light. That was quickly becoming a theme for this level. Only one exit could be seen on the far side of the room. Not sure what to expect, I moved cautiously into the room, unsheathing my sword. Halfway through the room, I heard the unmistakable chittering of rats, the noise bouncing off the small room's walls, obscuring their actual location. I quickly looked around and realized my mistake; the rats had used the dim lighting to sound me. Taking a calming breath, I readied my sword; if I had counted the gleaming eyes correctly, there were twelve rats.

  Nothing I couldn’t handle, I thought to myself, continuing to eye the rats, waiting for one of them to make a move. Besides the gleaming amber eyes, the only thing I could make out was their size; they were larger than any rat I’d seen in town. One of the rats must have gotten tired of waiting because it lunged. Waiting a few seconds for the perfect time, I activated Slash and brought the blade of my sword down on its neck, bending it.

  Congratulations, For defeating Rat, Level 1, 1 XP has been awarded.

  For defeating your first Rat, 2 XP has been awarded.

  Three more rats lunged at me as if that first rat was the signal. Thankfully, I could easily dodge them with Evade and even stab one, killing it instantly. After that, things became a blur of rats and blood as I fought the remaining ten. After what felt like an eternity but was only a few minutes, I stood panting, leaning against my sword, looking at the carnage around me.

   Gem comments in the still air, and I send her a glare as I pull my sword from the ground and clean off the dirt and gore with a cloth I had taken from my storage before reciting it.

   I respond as I confirm that I want to loot the rat.

   Gem said after a few seconds, then I could almost feel the smile as she added,

   I ask.

  

   I responded, moving around to each rat and looting it. Not just because I would finally have a reprieve from the monotony of looting each kill individually but also because the more I learned about the system, the more interesting it became.

  

  I can't help but chuckle and shake my head at Gem's enthusiasm as I loot the last of the rats. In all, I had gained seven Rat Pelts, two Rat Tails, three Rat Claws, and ten copper coins. I ask, laughing as I step out of the room.

   Gem says with mock outrage

   I say with a chuckle as I continue through the dungeon.

  ~ ~ ~

  By the time I met up with the rest of the class at the dungeon's entrance, I had reached level two and gained three skill points I wasn’t sure what to spend on. I had learned two things on this delve; one, I probably picked the longest path to the floor boss because, by the time I had reached the point where I had to turn around, I was only halfway there, at least if the dungeon map was anything to go by. The second was that a cleared room was not guaranteed to stay clear.

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   Gem comments

   I respond, taken off guard by Gem's comment.

  

   I answer with a mental shrug. Curious about what Gem was talking about, I finally opened the Skill Shop, and it did everything I could do not to have my surprise show on my face.

   I say in disbelief.

   Gem says with a slight laugh.

  

   Gem concedes,

   I said as something occurred to me,

   I don’t know how long I just stood there dumbfounded by that revelation. I know Gem and I have joked about how my class is broken, but I don’t think it truly sank in how broken it was. I was broken out of my stupor when the instructor called all of us over.

  “Looks like everyone made it back in one piece,” the instructor said when all seven of us had gathered around him and his assistants. “I hope you all learned something. With this, once we get back to town, this Introduction to Weapons Skills class will be over. With that being said, as your instructor, my last piece of advice to you all is that when we get back to town, head over to the Guildhall and cash in any loot you managed to get. Of course, for the two groups, it’s up to them how they want to divide up the rewards. That’s one of the perks of delving solo; you get to keep everything you find, but it also comes with more risk, as you won't have anyone to back you up if you run into trouble.”

  With that chery remark, the instructor motioned us to head back up the stairs and start our trek back to town.