James stretched a bit and removed the potion vials from his mind.

"John, can I see what types of things you sell in the shop?" 

It was time to invest some of his points. He needed to become stronger. He wasn't even sure he could confidently clear the 1st floor every time, much less climb to a higher floor.

John handed him a booklet. It looked like a menu, but when James opened it...he found a list food and prices. James cocked his head.

"Oh shit my bad. Sorry."

John handed him another booklet that looked identical to the first. This time, when James opened it, he saw things like weapons and potions. This was more like it.

Mike grabbed the food menu from James and started flipping through it. He ordered something, and John went to the back and started cooking.

"So, my top priorities would be weapons and armor. I think I'm good with armor. The Berserker's Armor protects my vitals and is good equipment. The knife is a good weapon, but I might want to get something with a little more reach. I definitely need potions, no question there."

James wanted to ask the expert sitting next to him, but was hesitating for a certain reason.

"Mike, is it rude if I ask you some questions? Are some things considered bad etiquette between dungeon explorers?" 

<Good question. I'll give you a little rundown, since you're new. Information about stats and skills are private information. It's a good idea to not ask about anything that shows up on a dungeon card. That will keep you out of trouble. Information about the dungeon itself is different. All that information is basically considered free if it's about the 1st tier, floors 1 thru 5. Above that, knowledge about the floors is considered an asset, so you can treat it as a good. Well, at the higher levels, anything that can give you a slight advantage is really valuable.> 

"Then, can I ask you a more detailed question?" James was still a bit hesitant.

<Go ahead.>

"I want to be able to clear the 1st floor consistently without worry. Currently, I have a decent armor and good knife. Other than potions, is there anything worth buying? Or should I get a weapon with longer reach? I want one because the mini-boss on the 1st floor had a spear."

<Actually, buying a longer weapon won't help you much. The goblin always spawns with a weapon that is longer than yours. That is the pattern for the 1st floor.>

James was surprised.

"Really? So then, the longer weapon isn't needed. How do I deal with it then? I guess I can dodge. Actually, I was able to dodge the berserk goblin's attacks for a while, so a regular goblin shouldn't be a problem."  

<The berserk was the mini-boss? Blimey! I mean, you survived that, so you really shouldn't have too much problems with the normal boss. I've never heard of a berserk on the 1st floor, or a berserk floor boss. Just what the hell did you do, mate?>

Mike's accent spiked again.

"Other than potions, what should I get then?"  James continued.

<Hmm… I know I just said not to ask, but how many points do you have right now?>  

"220."

James didn't have any qualms against giving this information to Mike. He needed all the help he could get.

John arrived with the food that Mike ordered. Mike grabbed the two plates with sandwiches on them and passed one to James. Before James could even reject it, Mike shut him down.

<I can't eat both of them anyways.>

"It's your money though. Why?"

<If it's about money, I have too much. On Earth, I own a multi-million dollar company. I'm what you'd call a business prodigy.> 

Mike grinned as he spoke.

<Well, the dungeon helped just a little bit. Something about a small loan of a million dollars.> 

This sentence caused James to start thinking. He definitely had the opportunity to make tons of money in the dungeon. If he ever got to the third tier, each monster he hunted would net him $10,000. But, he had to get there first.

Halfway through their grilled cheeses, Mike spoke.

<Anyways, back to your question. This may be a bit early for you, but maybe you could get a storage bag.>

"Storage bag?" James didn't know the term.

<It's a bag that lets you keep items without increasing the volume or weight you have to carry. It's really handy. You can carry all your potions and magic stones in there. Thing is, you're only on the 1st floor right now, so you don't really need it yet. It would help you clear the dungeon faster, though.>

James flipped through the booklet and found the item Mike was talking about. It was a classic in Japanese fantasy stories.

"The lowest tier storage bag can keep 100lb of objects. That's a lot of stuff."

<Yeah, I don't think you'll need anything more than that until the 8th or 9th floor.> 

"Hmm. It costs 250 points, but I only have 220. I also need some potions just in case."

<That's fine, I can lend you 100 points or so.>

James looked at Mike.

"Are you sure? I mean, there's a chance I might die. Also, can you even lend points?"

<Yeah, you can. It's only 100 points. And if you do survive and climb up, you'll owe me a favor. That's a good deal for me too. Here, take out your card.>

James took it out. His status was shown on the card, as usual. Then, a message appeared on the card.

[Add Michael Jacobson to your contacts list?]

James pressed "yes" on the card.

[Michael Jacobson has been added to your contact list.]

[Michael Jacobson has sent you 100 points.]

<See? It's pretty easy.>

James nodded. Points were like the currency in the dungeon. This would make it easy to make transactions.

James finished his sandwich and asked one final question.

"Erm, how do I get out?"

He felt kind of awkward asking such a dumb question.

<You can use your card to go in and out of the dungeon. When you're in the dungeon, your body becomes unconscious on Earth. For that reason, most people dive into the dungeon at night. For some reason, the time you spend in the dungeon counts as sleep for your body. Although, you have to have the mental strength to do that. Ah shit! You reminded me, I have to go. It's already 9 in the morning in England. See you around, James.>

Mike tapped his own card.

<Oh yeah. It might be a good idea to bring a watch in here.> Then he said: <Exit Dungeon!> and his body began to glow. When the lights disappeared, he was nowhere to be seen.