Kuru was clever.
He had known that ever since he was born.
While the other newborns still relied on older kobolds to feed them through their fragile period of growth, he had already learned the tribe's simple traps: lining pits with sharp stones and nails.
Connecting a tripwire to a pot of boiling oil.
Digging out a collapsible platform that could bear only a single kobold's weight...
Even as a youngster, he had already stood out among his tribe.
He could even spot a "boss"—one of those creatures in the underground world superior to kobolds, such as a giant spider—
Then drop smoothly to both knees, knock his head loudly against the ground, and offer up his freshly caught prey with both hands, pledging loyalty in exchange for his life.
Most bosses would accept him as their underling.
After all, it meant they could receive a plentiful supply of food without going out to hunt.
With this special skill, Kuru had practically never met a setback underground.
The position of "boss" changed hands quickly, after all. Today it might be a giant spider; tomorrow, an Ochre Jelly monster.
But everyone liked a hardworking, diligent underling.
If he had never run into those white-haired, black-skinned humans with long ears, he might never have had a chance to leave the underground world. He had encountered only one in his entire life.
She wore as little clothing as they did, her two breasts swaying amid the flashing blades. She slaughtered his "boss" with ease, then began massacring the kobold tribe.
He wanted to make her his boss, but she merely said a few things he could not understand before swinging her curved blade at his neck.
Luckily, he was clever enough to stand on a platform that could support only his own weight.