Penelope changed out of her robe.

  The one she was wearing was too full of penhead-sized holes to provide much of the meager protection it promised. The one from the Shadow that she’d just fought had the front burnt open, leaving her with only one good outer layer of protection.

  Penelope walked over to the pile of loot and began sorting it. The robe, belt, and pants were the same as the last two, and there was only a single vial left since the Demon had drank the two healing ones. Which left only the wand as the new item for her to look at.

  After Penelope picked up the Shadow Essence and put it in one of the empty vials and pocketed the glass tubes, she opened her menu and looked at the weapon.

  She didn’t have any spells with the nature affinity, but the additional point to Speed was better than getting nothing from the staff that she was using. Plus, the wooden wand was a lot easier to wield than the long, heavy staff.

  As soon as she stuck the wand through her belt loop, a notification popped up.

  New Class Unlocked!

  Caster -> Greenhorn

  New Passive Unlocked!

  Doublecast

  “I wonder what that does…” Penelope bit her lip as she cycled through her status screen.

  “It looks like my spells are going to cost more now.” Penelope closed the menu and walked over to her stash. She put on the robe from the Healer-type Demon, then poured the Demonic Essence into her soda bottle. The black slime melted together, filling almost two-thirds of the plastic bottle.

  She shook the bottle as she walked, content to listen to the Shlop noise that the sticky substance made as it was tilted around. Penelope did her best to not look towards the other group. They had finished their side and were at the entrance, trying to find a way through.

  Penelope couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it was animated, and that by itself was enough for her to want to stay clear. She deposited her loot in the northwest corner of the safe zone, then turned to face the next group of monsters.

  Her stomach let out a soft growl as she looked at the Demons, reminding her that the peanuts that she’d eaten weren’t going to be a substitute for lunch. Given that she was locked on the floor for four days without any visible food or water sources, she had a feeling that she was going to be very hungry by the time she finished.

  “Or you could cook some of the monsters.” Jeru’s voice filled her mind.

  “Can you hear my thoughts?” Penelope risked a glance at the other group. She didn’t want them to see her talking to herself and think she was trying to get their attention. She also didn’t want to get caught looking at them and have them think that she was trying to build up the courage to approach them. She was fine on her own at the moment.

  “We’re linked. Everything you think, see, feel, and hear is shared with me.”

  Penelope shivered. “So you’re saying I have a parasite.”

  “A parasite takes nutrients from the host.” The Elf snickered. “I’m just along for the ride, so this is more of a commensalistic partnership.”

  “How am I not being harmed when you withhold information that gets me killed?" Penelope’s voice rose to just above a whisper as she enunciated.

  “But did you really die?" Jeru scoffed. “I mean, we reset back, so it’s really a little bit of pain that you’re hoping to avoid.” He laughed. “And pain is one of the best teachers.”

  “Just…” Penelope shook her head. “Be quiet if you’re not going to help. I don’t need you distracting me and having to start all over.”

  “That sounds like the perfect reason to distract you.” Jeru appeared in front of her at a full six inches tall. “The faster you get used to dying, the easier it’ll be for you to plan out your path.”

  “Is that an observation or a hope?”

  “Experience.” He floated in front of her with his arms behind his head. “The ones who spent the most time trying to avoid dying were the ones who progressed the least and gave up the fastest.”

  “I’m not going to give up.” Penelope swatted at him, but her hand went through his blue form.

  “Oh-ho-ho! That tickles!”

  “You are the weirdest…” She shook her head.

  “You think I’m having weird mood swings?” Jeru rotated in the air, then leaned back so he could look at her upside down. “Girlie, the only thing keeping me sane is making fun of the situation. I’ve seen more people die before I came back in time than some people meet in their lifetime. And that’s not counting how many people I’ve seen die here.”

  He rolled over. “Is the depression suffocating? Yes. But what am I going to do? If I give up, then there isn’t another chance. Me walking away means the deaths of trillions. That’s too much blood for me to live with. But…” He twirled his finger in the air. “One of the downsides of the loop is you stop caring because everything resets.” He paused, then sighed. “Just don’t do what Kenny did and burn the whole thing down just because you can. That guy was a psycho.”

  “Stay away from Kenny, got it.” Penelope looked at the semi-translucent man. “Are you sure you’re okay?"

  “It doesn’t matter if I’m not.” He shrugged, then started to disappear. “So why treat a symptom when the cause is festering?” His voice began to fade. “If you really want to help me, then clear the Dungeon.”

  She sat in silence for a few moments. It was mostly to ensure that he was done talking, though there was a part of her that was enjoying the silence.

  As much as she would have enjoyed taking a longer break, it was better to pad her time now than to rush to make up for time later.

  She stood up and took out the wand. It felt familiar in her hand, but there was nothing significant about it. The tip glowed with a soft green, while the shaft itself looked like it had been multiple branches that had been twisted together, but overall there was nothing that should have reminded her of anything.

  Considering that Jeru hadn’t appeared to explain was proof enough for Penelope to decide that she wasn’t going to understand why she felt that way. She was just going to have to keep pushing forward.

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then opened her eyes to focus on the group to the north.

  It was time to clear another room.

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