I led the way away from the industrial district, and quickly arrived back at the bustling market square. Just like the other day it was packed full of dungeon grinders, weapon and armor merchants, potion shops, and more. I went back to the juice bar I’d gone to the first time.

I found an open table and took a seat, gesturing for Drust to do the same. He took a seat, observing the surroundings as he did so.

“I never realized how busy it is out here.” He commented absentmindedly, brushing his clothes as though to remove dust. It must have been a nervous tic because I didn’t see any dirt on him.

What he said struck me though, and I grew confused. “What do you mean? You must have come here before to get your equipment, right? Not to mention selling materials you got from the dungeon.”

He gave a sheepish grin and shrugged his shoulders weakly. “Well, no, not exactly. My equipment was a...gift, I suppose you could say. And as for the materials I get, the truth is I didn’t ever get any materials of my own, so I always felt too ashamed to take them.”

“Wait, how could you never have gotten any materials? I thought your party was grinding the public dungeon before this.” I couldn’t make heads or tails of what he was saying, it just didn’t make sense.

He shifted in his seat uncomfortably and hesitated a moment. “The truth is, I haven’t ever killed anything in a dungeon.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “What? How is that even possible? Also, if that was the case, why would your party even keep you around?”

He coughed lightly. “Well, I might have led them to believe that I was doing more than I actually was.”

My head spun slightly as I realized this so called “assassin” in front of me was about as threatening as I was, but before I could ask anymore questions he cut me off.

“Look, this will go faster if you just let me explain myself rather than asking me a question at a time.”

I nodded in acquiesence and settled back in the chair to hear his story. Before he could begin, however, a pretty waitress with dark hair and eyes came over and asked for our order.

I ordered the same drink as last time and Drust ordered something called an Ice Melon Smoothie. I wasn’t sure what Ice Melons were, but based on the price tag on the menu they must have been from pretty high up in the dungeon if they were local. More likely, since they were ice attribute, they came from a foreign dungeon. Foreign dungeon products were always more expensive due to the tariff Asance leveled on them, but some dungeon products could only be farmed in certain regions.

Ice attribute dungeons required extremely cold climes, and were often found in tundras or extremely high mountains. Asance on the other hand was in a forested region, though the surrounding area had long been cleared of trees such that it looked more like plains. It was easier to defend the city from attack when you had a clear line of sight for miles around. Of course, attacks were exceedingly uncommon these days.

After the waitress left, I settled back and looked at Drust expectantly. He took a deep breath. “Alright let me start from the beginning. The truth is my name isn’t Drust. Rather it’s D. Rust, or Damien Rust to be more precise.” He paused here to let that sink in.

“Rust,” I mused, the name tickling my memory as I tried to recall where I’d heard it before. My eyes widened as the realization hit me. “Not as in the Rust Corporation?”

Drust, or rather Damien, nodded with a sheepish grin and reached a hand up to rub the back of his head. “Well, that’s the one yeah.”

I sat back hard in my seat, my head whirling as I tried to fathom what he said. My mind went to the only other rich person I’d met, Brock Baro from university. But as rich as the Baro family was, and they were rich enough that I couldn’t earn in a thousand lifetimes what they earned in a year, the Rust Corporation could buy all of their assets a hundred times over.

Where the Baro family had invented and patented one dungeon era product, the original holophone, the Rust Corporation, and the Rust Family, had invented and patented dozens of products. Including, I realized dully, the Thermacore that I had just used in the Q&A dungeon.

Damien sat across from me waiting patiently for me to snap out of it. I shook myself free of my stupor. “So,” I said, gathering my wits. “You’re what, a branch member of the family?”

He shrugged slightly. “Not quite. My Dad is the current CEO, and my Mom is the chairman of the board. My Grandfather is the largest shareholder in the company.”

I couldn’t help sweating as he said this. He was basically royalty in the Rust Corporation. If nothing unexpected happened he’d follow that same route and end up in charge of the entire company.

“So, why--” But before I could ask further, he cut me off. “Look, like I said, just let me tell the whole story. Otherwise this will take forever.”

I forced myself to hold my tongue, swallowing my questions for the time being. He waited until he was sure I would remain silent before continuing.

“I was born into the Rust family. It wasn’t something I asked for or wanted, but I supposed I was lucky not to be born into poverty or born an orphan. I don’t want to sound ungrateful or like I take the life afforded to me for granted. But at the same time, it’s not as if everything is perfect just because my family has money. The Rust Corporation, as you know, is famous for the numerous dungeon era products it has put out. But the basis for that economic success, the true strength of the Rust Corporation, came from my Grandfather being one of the first to evolve.”

I nodded. Evolution occurred once you hit the max level for your class at level 20. At that point you could become an advanced version of your class. Rangers became Evolved Rangers. Warriors became Evolved Warriors. It wasn’t just a name change either, it was a qualitative change in your physique and abilities. Rumor had it that there were other hidden requirements that let you expand beyond the basic Evolved Class.

“My Grandfather had enough titles and achievements that he was able to evolve into a hidden class. I can’t go into more detail as it involves family secrets, but using the strength from the hidden class he managed to kill high level Beasts and conquer the higher floors of a number of naturally formed dungeons. He used that to form a research and development team that created the first generation of our dungeon era products. That was the start of the Rust Corporation. He’s largely retired from the corporation, but he’s still very much the patriarch of our family.”

I was following along so far. It wasn’t an unheard of story. Wealth and status in this era were founded on strength. To call it a martial era wouldn’t be an exaggeration. That was also why Dungeon Makers were so looked down upon.

“As patriarch of the family, he has only ever focused on one value in our family: strength. If you want to succeed you must be strong. If you want to be important in the family you must be strong. My own parents rose to their positions through strength. They fought, literally, against other family members to reach that point. That attitude has permeated the Rust Corporation as a result.”

He kept babbling on the same point without going anywhere and I finally interrupted as I grew impatient. “I get it, strength matters to your family. But I still don’t get why you’re here, pretending to be a nobody in a party. And also why you said you didn’t kill anything.”

Damien shook his head. “Sorry, you’re right. I just wanted to make sure you understood the attitude of my family and the Rust corporation. Otherwise this next part won’t make much sense.”

I shook my head wryly. “I’m a Dungeon Maker. No one understands more clearly the importance of strength than those who lack it most.”

Damien looked taken aback. “I’m sorry, I forgot. Well, then this next part will probably make sense to you. I was born into this elite family. I had the same starting Class as my grandfather. It seemed fated that I would be the next head of the family and take over the position as majority shareholder of the corporation. But when men lay plans for the future fortune laughs. They took me to my first dungeon at the age of 10. They just had me fighting low level monsters, and they had plenty of security around me to keep me safe. I was fighting against a goblin first. I went to stab it, but as soon as I got close enough I saw this look of fear in its eyes and I froze. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t bring myself to go through with it.”

My eyes widened. It wasn’t unheard of, there were plenty of people out there who refused to eat meat and sentient plant products because they couldn’t accept the fact that something had to die to make whatever meal or snack they were eating. But they were far more rare than you’d think, and even those who had those ideals typically didn’t freeze up once they found themselves in a life or death situation.

“So you see,” Damien continued bitterly. “Janus didn’t make me a Rogue so I could follow in my grandfather’s footsteps. He made me a Rogue so I could hide if something dangerous approached me. And for that, for my weak heart, I became a failure to my family. My grandfather quickly gave up on nurturing me, perhaps recognizing that it was pointless. My parents, though, they never gave up. They kept throwing me into dungeons. At first they tried putting me against weaker creatures then stronger creatures. Then they tried removing my security.”

His voice wobbled a bit before regaining a normal tenor. “It got so bad that I feared that if I stayed at home, they’d kill me one day trying to force me to be something I’m not.” He paused here, taking a deep breath as he tried to calm down as he relived the experience, the fear still real to him.

He cleared his throat, once, twice, and continued. “So I ran away from home. I emptied my accounts. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I was rich, but it was enough to meet my needs for a good 10 or so years. I figured by that time my parents would have given up on the idea of turning me into a successor by force, and I could come back home. My equipment that you see is the same equipment my parents gave me for the dungeons. The first day I left home I happened to come across Quimby when I was wandering the city. I recognized him from a party the Rust Corporation had held. He’d been from one of the small families that tried to curry favor with my parents by trying to become friends with me. He had invited me to join his dungeon party, so I knew he had a spot open. So I joined under a false name and the rest, you know.”

I pondered over his words as he fell quiet. After a long silence during which he shifted in his chair uncomfortably, I went to speak, but I was interrupted by the arrival of our drinks.

Damien nodded his thanks at the waitress as he went to drink his, but she cleared her throat to draw his attention, holding out her hand expectantly. He looked to me and I shrugged. “You were the one who wanted to talk. Besides, after what you just revealed, I’d say you can be the one to pay for it.”

He grumbled slightly, but quickly pulled out a bill and handed it to her. I didn’t see how much it was, but from the look on her face it must have been at least a 50 dollar bill.

After she left, we sat for a moment, enjoying our drinks. I set mine down first and cleared my throat, signaling I was ready to start asking questions. He set his down too, and sat staring at me, waiting for what I had to say.

“There are a few things I still don’t understand.” I began.

He nodded. “Okay, let’s go through them one at a time, then.”

I organized my thoughts before speaking. “First, I don’t understand how Quimby didn’t recognize you when you joined him. You said you’d met him before. Even if he was just a little person to you, someone you could ignore, you were the son of two titans of industry, the heir presumptive to the Rust Corporation. There’s no way he would forget your face.”

Damien nodded. “That’s an easy one. You must have noticed that my cloak has magic properties right? No matter how close to my face you get, you’ll never be able to see it so long as I have my hood up. It’s a small magic, but one that helps protect my identity. It’s related to the cloak’s overall stealth magic. Ever since I joined, whenever I’ve been around the party, I’ve worn the cloak with the hood up. The first couple of times they asked me to take it off I just kept quiet and stared at them. They seemed to take it for bloodlust or anger, and quickly backed down.”

I snorted at that, before sheepishly remembering that I’d had the same thought when he hadn’t given me his name when we first met.

“Okay, so you’ve managed to keep your identity secret, but if you freeze up in dungeons, how have you been able to stay in the party this whole time.”

He coughed and shrugged. “Well, it’s somewhat embarrassing, but I’ve just hidden every time. It’s not as though I freeze up when I see beasts or monsters. It’s just that I can’t attack them. Stealthing away and tripping them, or leading them into the party, that I can do. Also, since my stealth skill is so high from all the times I had to hide from high level monsters that my parents put me against, I can basically hide from anyone who hasn’t evolved. Admittedly I’ve only tested it against people at the tenth level, but I’m pretty confident that I won’t be noticed by anyone.”

“And so you’ve just been hiding from everyone once combat starts and appearing at the last minute?” I asked incredulously.

He nodded, grinning wryly. “Sometimes I’ll make myself visible around the edges of combat, making it seem like I’m flashing in for surprise attacks. No one seems to have noticed that I haven’t done anything so far. To be honest, I’m also a little surprised about it.”

I stared at the sheepish teenager in front of me, marveling over the fact that he’d found a way to hide in plain sight like this. At the same time, it was as though I was having all my presumptions about him overturned. Where part of me had still been on guard against him, in case he tried to dagger me, I felt that tension melting away. He couldn’t even hurt monsters and beasts, let alone a human.

He took another drink of his Ice Melon Smoothie, and I forced myself to focus on the task at hand. I still had an important question to ask him.

“Look, this is all well and good. It sounds like you’ve had an interesting journey. But I still don’t know what you want from me.”

He set his drink down, took a breath, and looked me in the eyes. “I’m going to be straightforward with you.” I leaned forward slightly, meeting his gaze as I tried to read his intentions. “I wanted to talk to you for a very simple reason. You impressed me. Putting aside the fact that it was just a level one dungeon, you came up with creative ideas to work around the problems that you had. Those idiots might not know it, but I know perfectly well how valuable a renewable dungeon is. The amount you save on costs alone is enormous. And if you can keep that up with higher level dungeons, then you could easily make a fortune.”

I didn’t respond. I knew he was right, though I hadn’t thought ahead to making high level dungeons renewable yet. It was too far off to seem real.

He continued speaking, drawing my thoughts back to the present. “But even as you impressed me with your knowledgeable approach to dungeons, you also showed how ignorant you are of business. That deal you made was such an obvious trap to anyone with even a shred of business acumen. I couldn’t believe it when you went ahead and signed it.”

“Are you done? I didn’t come here to be insulted. The Dungeon Maker curriculum doesn’t exactly include a business course. They assume we’ll just follow the path laid out for us and join one of the large corporations or the government.”

“Exactly!” He exclaimed, making me jump at the sudden increase in volume of his voice. “You chose to go against the path laid out for you and try to make it on your own, but you weren’t prepared. I also refused to go against the path laid out for me, and I wasn’t prepared. That’s why I think we should team up! What do you say, want to be business partners?”

His offer came so far out of left field I was left speechless for a moment. “What sort of proposition is that? Because neither of us are at all qualified we should work together?”

Damien shook his head and continued seriously. “That’s the beauty of it! Don’t you see? Individually neither of us are qualified, but together we are. You have a unique and highly sought after product in your renewable dungeons. But you lack the business knowledge to maximize your returns. On the other hand, I have nothing but business knowledge. I was raised to be the heir of one of the largest corporations out there. What I lack is only my family’s requirement that the leader of the Rust Corporation must be strong. Together, we have business knowledge and a product with unlimited demand.”

I looked in his eyes and saw he was totally serious. “You’re forgetting one thing. Even if we have a product and business knowledge, aren’t we still lacking something? Strength. I have the weakest Class out there and you are incapable of violence. Without strength, do you really think we can do this?”

He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and looking at me with renewed intensity. “Isn’t that just perfect then? Ever since it became clear I couldn’t fight, people in my family have looked down on me. As though being able to kill somehow made them better than me. You can’t tell me you haven’t felt the same. That someone hasn’t treated you like dirt because you’re weaker than they are. Wouldn’t it be just nice to show them that we can surpass them? That the strength they value so highly isn’t the only trait that matters? Tell me you don’t want to prove that to them.”

I thought back to the slights I’d received over the years. There was always a Brock Baro or a Redmond Keghorn. The type of bully that would lord their strength over anyone they perceived to be weaker than them. I thought of the dismissive glances of women, of the pity that the teachers gave me. I thought of how Alder had been confident in taking advantage of me, knowing that even if I grew angry I couldn’t really threaten them. A fierce hunger rose in me, one that I’d buried so deep and so long that I had forgotten it was even there. The hunger for recognition. For people to look at me and recognize my worth.

With that hunger blazing in my eyes, I met Damien’s gaze and nodded. “Alright. Tell me more about this partnership you had in mind.”