《The Forsaken Lands of a Forsaken Dungeon》 Ch. 1: Birth Drip. Drip. Drip. It trickled in, slowly. This warmth, this energy. It held a vibrancy to it, seeming to shimmer as it drifted in from all sides. In closed in around me, becoming a vortex of light. Surrounding me. Encompassing me. Suddenly, my thoughts lifted and it felt like I could see. Where is this? Why am I here? Who am I? ¡­.What am I? Nothing. Nothingness on all sides. I couldn¡¯t see anything. I couldn¡¯t feel anyone. I pushed out, frantic, trying to grasp the world around me. I was surrounded. On all sides. What is this? Soil? ...Dirt? Why is it here? It¡¯s suffocating. I pushed out again, trying to dispel this feeling. The air shimmered, energies seeming to seep out of me and into the area around me. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. The energy? It never left, it was here the whole time. It transformed to become me. This energy was mine, and the soil too, became mine. Infused with my energy, it seemed to become a part of my very being. And once more, I push. Shudder. Responding to my will, the dirt separates off of my body, freeing me. I breathe in the air. It is stagnate. There is no life. This is wrong. Is there truly nothing here? Then, why am I here? Feeling desperate, I push deeper. The progress in painfully slow, but I keep going. As the space around me widens, I start to feel dizzy. A buzzing noise sounds in my ears, and as my vision blurs, I stop. I cannot feel the energy, it is no more. I feel my body shudder as it rights itself, the crystalline end floating a small distance above the ground. Crystal? I strain my vision, trying to bring it into focus once more as I behold myself for the first time. I am a crystal. Long, slender, and with a sharp point on each end. White, or perhaps a pale yellow color. This is what I am. But is this all that I am? Looking around, I feel confusion. I have created a fairly large and perfectly spherical cavern around myself. And yet¡­ still I feel nothing. My cavern is at least three crystal lengths tall, and yet all I can sense is the dirt. Is it normal for crystals to be surrounded by dirt? It is. This, however, is wrong. I start feeling dizzy again. I should not be here. I needed to blow away this dirt and get to the¡­ not dirt. The outside. Even though I am a crystal, I should not be enclosed by dirt. This feels correct; but if so, am I really a true crystal? Am I different somehow? I am- The world seems to jolt, and the buzzing noise resumes. I- I¡¯m¡­ A dungeon. But what is a dungeon? What I am, what I truly am is¡­ Lost. Ch. 2: Lost I shuddered, the world spinning as I jolted awake. Was I asleep? When did I lose consciousness? Where is this? ...Ah. Looking around at the circular space around me, I remembered. I don¡¯t know where this is. But where should I be going? Outside, was it? The air was stagnate, outside was where I would be able to breathe. But that wasn¡¯t quite right. It was too empty. I needed something more. Life, that thing I was searching for even now. Life. It is too empty without life. Life to keep me company. Life to protect me. ...But did I need protection? No, I needed rescue. How do I get out of here? I looked around and eventually settled my gaze in a certain direction: above. Something was telling that in order to get unburied I needed to dig up. Up would lead me to the outside. Perhaps the outside is also where life is? Feeling optimistic, I started opening a little gap in the space above me. At first, it didn¡¯t feel right, but when I made it an entire crystal width wide, it started to feel more correct. Yes. I could make this my goal. And thus, I began my digging. Up and up, until I started feeling dizzy again. This dizziness, what does it mean? As I mentally shook myself in an attempt to clear my thoughts, I suddenly remembered. Last time, when I felt like it was because the energy was gone. Does that mean the energy had returned while I was asleep? I had been too distracted to notice. I glanced up at the hole¡­ the tunnel leading upwards and tried to send my senses through it. Nothing. I found nothing! There is only dirt and more dirt! I thought for sure that this was right! How far will I have to go to get out of this¡­ place. This place of nothing! Nothing! Nothing!! NOTHING!!! I was¡­ I am lost! LOST in this land of the NOTHINGS!!Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. WHY¡­ no. No, I should calm down. There¡­ surely there¡¯s something more. Just because the outside wasn¡¯t close doesn¡¯t it doesn¡¯t exist. Wait, come to think of it: how did I even know about the outside? I had certainly never seen it before. Was there something I was missing here? I tried searching my memory and instantly I realized something else¡ªI was a dungeon. That very revelation had also come to me right before I passed out. Both this and the thing about the outside were definitely things I didn¡¯t know until I had questioned them. Either I just didn¡¯t know that I knew, or I was somehow obtaining answers. I mulled this over. It had felt so natural, like once I knew about the outside I had only had to reach it. No further questioning necessary. I needed to reach deeper here. What, exactly, was the outside anyway? The word had come to me, but what was it like? What was- SHRIIIING I flinched. The noise had completely overwhelmed me, but it hadn¡¯t originated from my cavern. It had arrived as a direct result of my questions, I was sure. It had felt like some energy had sputtered, making a screeching noise as it bounced back into me. Had the energy tried to leave for some reason? My energies were swirling wildly now, making me feel sick. I quickly had to reassert control over it and slow it down. Eventually, the feeling passed. I clearly had no problems controlling this energy, and yet it seemed to have tried to leave me without me noticing. And the cause of this was the questions. Hmm. Maybe I could track the energy? If I was going to do this though, I¡¯d need more questions. It didn¡¯t feel safe somehow to continue questioning about the outside, especially if that sick feeling came back. Luckily, I had a bigger mystery already: dungeons. I was one, apparently. What are they? ¡­. ...Okay, then what are dungeons supposed to do? A moment passed, and then the energies bounced and swirled for a moment before settling on their own. It felt like they couldn¡¯t find what they were reaching for. Was the question too vague, perhaps? Let¡¯s try this then: are all dungeons crystals like me? Well, of course they were. Ah. It had happened, I definitely had an answer there. It was so natural, it felt like it was merely one of my own thoughts. Maybe it was? If the energies had reacted, then I missed it. Perhaps the feeling was a little TOO natural then? If I was going to figure this out, then I needed to really focus without getting too distracted by the question itself. It¡¯s a challenge, but I already got my next question. If all dungeons are crystals, doesn¡¯t that imply that there are other dungeons? Instantly, I saw the energy shoot out, but before I could even feel satisfied everything seemed to dim. It got harder to focus, and it felt like the world was shaking. Even through the fog, I felt something akin to panic. I threw my senses back into myself. The fog didn¡¯t lift. The fog was spinning. Spinning¡­ Spinning¡­ And then there was a sudden moment of clarity. Who are you? Wha¡­ The words seemed to scatter the fog, but they did not come from me. These thoughts are not mine, but then whose are they? What¡¯s this now? Weren¡¯t you the one who called me? Did I? What¡­ what are you- Me? Obviously I¡¯m a dungeon. A dungeon? ...Another dungeon?! Ch. 3: The Great Dunes (Ahahaha~) This¡­ other dungeon¡¯s laughter seemed to echo around me, feeling as though it came from everywhere and yet nowhere at the same time. (You, didn¡¯t you know that only dungeons can connect to this network?) -Ah¡­ I¡­ network? No, no! I was trying to test something else when I suddenly heard your voice! (Is this your first time talking to another dungeon then?) -Yes. What is going on? I am very confused. (Hmmm, it seems as though you merely contacted the nearest dungeon then.) For some reason the voice sounded especially bothered here. Is this method of communication no good¡­? -What do you mean? (That is what happens if you seek out another without a particular target in mind. However¡­. Where are you right now?) -...I don¡¯t actually know. I seem to be buried somewhere? (You don¡¯t know? I see. This is troubling.) -Trouble? Is there a problem? (I am supposed to be near you, and yet you feel incredibly distant, so far that I can¡¯t even be sure of where exactly you are. The only thing to the west of me was... No. No, that couldn¡¯t be true.) -West? Ummm, I don¡¯t really understand that word, but¡­ Should I not be here? (Errr, forget about it. You cannot choose your birthplace. More importantly, it seems you are newly born?) -Newly born? Well, it¡¯s true that I haven¡¯t been awake long. (I thought so. It seems like I am the one providing nearly all the mana to maintain this conversation. Your mana input is pitifully low, even for a new dungeon. How many creatures have you claimed?) -I haven¡¯t seen any creatures, what are they like? (None?! That¡¯s bad, you need to hurry up and find some.) -So how do I do that? (Creatures should be attracted to your mana. If they are there¡­. If they are there then they will appear. Surround them with your mana immediately should you discover them.) -I just need to find them then? (Yes. Your current situation is¡­ dire. Without a sufficient amount of creatures, you will simply run out of mana and cease to be.) -Cease to be?! Wha-! (You said you were buried? Dig towards the surface quickly. Once you have a path completed, your mana flow will improve and your mana upkeep will decrease. But do not forget to locate creatures while you do so, for they lurk everywhere, including within the dirt.) -I see. Then that was the importance of the outside? No wonder¡­. (My only regret is that I cannot give you any better advice. Still you¡¯re way too weak¡­¡­. It¡¯s risky, but I wish to send you some mana. Will you receive it?)Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. -Yes? Yes. Please do so, if my situation is really so ¡°dire¡± as you put it¡­ (Alright. Then, call out my name. Call upon the name of The Great Dunes, and then guide my mana into the center of your crystal, to the center of your very being.) -I¡¯ll try. (Then, I¡¯ll send it now.) The Great Dunes? Is that his name? Hmm, a name was it¡­? Do I¡­? No. No, I must not get distracted here. I focus my attention on my mana, and soon I find it. There¡¯s a strong flow of mana that vanishes off into the distance that presumably connects me to him. The Great Dunes. Instantly, the line flashes before mana comes pouring in like a flood. At first I panic, but Great Dunes is sending me something as precious as mana, so I must not forget his instructions. I carefully reach out and grab hold of the mana. Unlike the soothing warmth of my own mana, this mana is hot. Red hot. It feels as though it is literally burning as I pull it in. It burns. It burns. But soon- it reaches my center. I feel a little dizzy, or perhaps lightheaded as the mana starts to integrate and stabilize. However, right when I thought it was over, a great burst resounds. All I can sense is a ringing¡­. (....ey. Hey, can you hear me?) -I¡­ I think so? (Sorry about that. It seems that you are not of the fire element, so it was a bit rough. However, I felt it succeed in the end, so all is well.) -Yes. In fact¡­ My energy feels stronger and more vibrant now. Better than ever before. (Hahaha, I¡¯m glad. Not only should you have more mana to expand with, but I also directly used my mana to forcibly open up a certain channel for you in the Dungeon Network. It is the Mana Monitoring channel.) -Network...? But I should be able to keep track of my mana better then? (Correct. I could only give access to the most basic, but this should allow you to better understand your mana flow. Call out Mana Monitoring and the information should enter your mind.) -Is that so? Then¡­ Mana Monitoring I watched as a small amount of mana surged outwards, similar to when I first called out to The Great Dunes. It seemed to connect, before rushing back to me. It swirled around for a second and then it did indeed materialize into my mind. [Mana Total: 10,062 Intake: 0 Expected Upkeep: 10 per hour] Huh¡­ How much did Great Dunes give me just now? The number at least looks good for the time being, even if the intake is 0. (Now do you understand? Let me give you a warning though: this channel is indeed the result of hundreds of years of research conducted by dungeons. However, it is simply an arbitrary value in the end. Mana is very much influenced by thoughts, emotions, vitality, and even the environment. Though through our efforts it has become fairly reliable, do not always expect the expected cost and the actual cost to match. Make sure you always give yourself a little leeway.) -Okay. That makes sense. (Excellent. Then, this is all I can do for now¡­ Ah! Make sure you do not carelessly call out to me or any other dungeon again! At least not until you have a good and steady reserve that you can afford to spend! Even then, only if it¡¯s an emergency!! Okay?! Promise me!!!) -...Y,yes. I¡¯m sorry. I did something really dangerous, didn¡¯t I¡­ I¡¯ll be more careful. (Good. Then I¡¯ll hold you to your word. This is goodbye for now.) I felt the line connecting me to Great Dunes suddenly vanish as if it was cut. Now, I¡¯m all alone once more. But, I have a goal to strive for. Mana intake. I can¡¯t let Great Dunes¡¯ efforts go to waste. ******* The Lord of The Great Dunes groaned. A new dungeon. The first in over a hundred years. But its location was¡­ No, now is not the time for distractions. He had just sent over a massive amount of mana. Even if only 1/10th of it was converted, they definitely noticed. Those bastards. He had to interfere and make it so they couldn¡¯t track it. No one was expecting a new dungeon and no one especially would expect it from over there. There¡¯s no way they¡¯d be able to track it in so little time, so it should be safe. He was still anxious. Even with the traces cleared away, they would be alerted. If that dungeon did something big on the Network again¡­ No, he had warned it not to call other dungeons. The odds of it doing something else big on the Network were just too small. With this, it should be safe for a few years. ...Assuming it could survive. It was newly born, and yet it felt like it was only a few hours away from being extinguished. Was it being born at all a fluke? It must surely be so. The Lord groaned once more. He really hoped that there was still some sort of life in those forsaken lands for it to claim¡­. Ch. 4: Within the Dirt Right! So¡­ the first thing to do is continue digging? To reach that mysterious ¡°outside¡± and reduce mana upkeep. Great Dunes said life should be attracted to me¡­ Guess I can only be vigilant. Before that, I wanted to confirm: my questions are being answered automatically through this Dungeon Network? And this is at the cost of mana? It does seem to be that way¡­. Ah! Then: Mana Monitoring! [Mana Total: 10,060 Intake: 0 Expected Upkeep: 10 per hour] I wasn¡¯t able to verify it earlier, but this Mana Monitoring thing sure makes it easy. I presume that it was one point for the question and one point to access Mana Monitoring? It is nice and easy to understand. Now then, the upwards tunnel. I dug quite a bit earlier, but it wasn¡¯t that far in all actuality. Maybe 12 or 13 crystal lengths up? I feel as though it should be more than a crystal width wide, but that kind of superfluous spending can wait. For now I send my mana up into the top of the tunnel to continue its expansion. It feels much smoother than before, possibly as a result of the extra mana I recieved. Not only does it take less focus, but it is progressing at a faster rate as well. Still, there is only the dirt. Can¡¯t I have something else? How do I speed this up? For now, I try putting more mana into it, but it quickly starts to dissipate. Panicking just a bit, I try to stabilize it like when I stabilized the mana inside of my crystal earlier, and¡­ Success? Somehow, if the mana whirls in a circle, the dirt is quickly moved out of the way. This is¡­ a drill? A drill technique¡­ this means that forcibly using mana might not always be the best. Technique. Let¡¯s remember to experiment with mana techniques in the future as well. Alright, let¡¯s fire it up! I set my drill at the same speed as before¡­ but actually, couldn¡¯t we go faster? Faster and faster! The faster I spin the faster I win!! ...Is what I thought, but just as I was reaching new speeds my mana drill encountered a hard object and dislodged it from the wall. DONG-!Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Ahhhh, I¡¯m spinning! What was that?! Have I taken damage?! It takes several seconds for my crystal to right itself. This is¡­ a rock? Why didn¡¯t it get nicely compacted into the wall like the dirt was? Rocks are hazardous. Though¡­ perhaps it was my fault for digging straight upwards¡­ Ugh¡­ Still, this is at least different from the dirt. Is it not something special then? I focus in on the object in question, trying to analyze it further and- [Slate: A hardened version of shale. It can be used as a writing surface or as a whetstone.] Oh?! I was able to receive detailed information! ¡­.I don¡¯t know what any of these words mean. Shale is¡­ another rock, writing is¡­ a means of communication? I don¡¯t really get it, but it seems that it has limited uses for dungeons. A whetstone¡­ is used to sharpen bladed weapons. And so¡­. It is useless. It seems certain creatures might be able to use something like a bladed weapon, but I¡¯m still lacking here. In other words¡ªtoo many problems and not enough solutions. The first order of business should be to stop these useless things from falling on me. Let¡¯s see¡­ I need to make a turn in the tunnel, or would it be better to perhaps¡­ make a room. Yes, my dungeon instincts are going crazy here. A room for creatures to live in. Perhaps I don¡¯t have creatures because I lack these rooms. It makes sense, probably. Therefore, let¡¯s make the room. My crystal is floating in a vaguely circular space, but it seems that square or rectangular shapes work better if it is meant to be a room. I start by flattening the space outwards, leaving the hole leading to my crystal in the corner of the room. I want a lot of creatures, so it should be relatively large. For now, I¡¯ll do seven crystal lengths for the length and width. How tall do creatures get? Should I just do another seven for the height? Mmm, done. ¡­ ¡­.. ¡­¡­.Now what? When do the creatures arrive? What was it that Great Dunes was saying? That they are even within the dirt? He wasn¡¯t lying, right? ...Right? So all I can do is examine the dirt! I mean, I was able to examine that rock closer right? Now I know it¡¯s slate. Therefore the dirt: [Dirt: The omnipresent resource. Plants are found spreading their roots within it for it contains ample nutrients to support them.] Yes? No no, wait. I¡¯ve never seen a plant before? And yet I¡¯m surrounded by dirt? Why is that? ...Light is needed? This is too confusing. But is it a no-go for plants then? It really feels like I¡¯m missing something here... Ch. 5: Within the Dirt?! After extensive nothings I have made a discovery: plants are a type of creature! Or rather, it¡¯s more like plants are a type of creature for people who are not me¡­ But, within the dirt, they say. Roots are also within the dirt, they say. Nutrients(?) too. No, I¡¯m getting side-tracked. The point is that this had to be the thing I¡¯ve been missing. Actually, if I keep focusing on the dirt after the Dungeon Network¡¯s info thingy comes up, then I can make it¡­ larger. It seems the dirt is blatantly unaffected by this, as it does not truly change size. What changes is the viewing method. In other words, another technique. I¡¯m clearly some sort of genius, clearly, for finding another one so quickly. However, this viewing method does take mana because it is a special technique, which is different from the normal viewing. Focusing in on a single point, I start to zoom in. First, dirt becomes unexpectedly grainy if you really look at it. Yes, truly. This is the critical information needed to save my life and conquer the universe! Okay, it¡¯s not. In reality I haven¡¯t lost yet, because what I needed was within the dirt. You see? That is why I am a genius. I try moving just the topmost grains, and to my surprise I am able to do so. Effortlessly, in fact. Underneath the first grain is another grain, and underneath that is a third one of course. Keep going and you will enter the expansive universe that is a tunnel, I guess. It makes it feel like I¡¯m surrounded by some uncountable amount of little planets or something. ¡­. ¡­...Um? Could it be that I, myself, was the one who was unexpectedly huge? Aaahhhh, it feels like I¡¯m really pushing it with the mana cost, but let¡¯s fully explore here. The grain is similar to a rock. No, it really is a rock. If these are all rocks, then why in the world is dirt considered to be something different from rocks? ¡­ Somehow, it feels like the Dungeon Network doesn¡¯t have an answer for me here. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I¡¯m kind of annoyed that I¡¯m suddenly back to rock viewing when I was supposed to be making progress. I start throwing rocks here and throwing rocks there, and after a few minutes of these greatest of rocks, I see something move. !! The tail-end of something is definitely slipping between the rocks, this is no joke! I see. Within the rocks(dirt). As the master of this place, I can send any number of these rocks flying. So even if this newly found creature wishes to escape, resistance is futile. Within seconds, I¡¯ve uncovered the target. It seems confused by my actions, so I take this opportunity to surround it with mana. Or so I thought, but the instant I thought about sending my mana to the creature, it was already absorbed, and the creature was already mine. No surrounding it with mana, no time for struggles, no resistance. It was weird. I guess Great Dunes didn¡¯t say whether it would struggle or not, but he did say you had to surround it. Not just sending it directly like I wound up doing. Hmm, oh well. It¡¯s mine now. My first creature is¡­. I don¡¯t know what this is! Nothing is jumping to mind. [Unknown Creature] Really, nothing is jumping to mind somehow. Ah, why is the Dungeon Network suddenly useless?! I have to do everything myself here, seriously. Well, I guess all I can do is analyse it trait by trait then. It goes without saying that the main feature of our creature is its oval shape! It¡¯s¡­ very round. I¡¯m not sure what my mental image of creatures was, but it feels like I was expecting it to be less round than this. The second feature is that it¡¯s covered with something like¡­ hairs? I guess these are hairs. If there¡¯s a lot of hairs, it becomes fur, but these hairs are evenly spaced out. Meaning, it¡¯s hairy rather than furry. And then, our third and final feature! The tails. There¡¯s a long main tail that is slightly longer than the oval body. This is followed by two middle length tails on either side of the main tail. They are about half the length of the main tail. Under the middle length tails are the small length tails, about a third of the main tail. This makes a total of 5 tails. According to the Dungeon Network, it seems that the average creature only has one tail, with only some famous notable exceptions such the kitsune. How many tails does a kitsune have? One to nine. Is this not clearly a kitsune then? Stupid Network. ¡­. Alright! I¡¯ve decided to waste extra mana on this! To find out what other notable features a kitsune has! [One of the most important features of the kitsune are their adorable triangular ears!] Useless?! Who wrote this?! Isn¡¯t this some sort of biased opinion?! I don¡¯t even know what ears are! Hah. Okay, okay. What I have before me is like that. An earless creature. When I look really carefully, this creature is actually semi-transparent too. There is a shadowy mass in the center of it that looks all squiggly and stuff. Hm. This leads me to conclude¡­ nothing. I guess the only option is to observe the creature in action? I give my first ever command: continue as normal! The creature instantly vanishes into the rocks! I see! The answer is that my first creature is some sort of coward! I¡¯m glad I was able to solve that mystery. Ch. 6: Cryptid Even though my creature had escaped into the rocks, I could still determine its rough location since I had already claimed it. I tried following it for a while, but it really didn¡¯t seem to want to come out. Since it has come to this, let¡¯s focus on other things, starting with Mana Monitoring. [Mana Total: 8,446 Intake: 0 Expected Upkeep: 16 per hour] Hey! Didn¡¯t this decrease a lot?! And I thought creatures were supposed to have an effect on the intake? Is one not enough, maybe? It feels unreasonable. Another point of interest is the increased upkeep. Is it because I made a room or is it related to the creature? Ugh¡­ I regret not checking it earlier. But¡­ even though I made negative progress¡­ I still need to continue expanding, right? My mana won¡¯t flow properly unless I connect to the ¡°outside¡±, or so it goes. This sort of mystical nonsense is going to endanger my life first, though. I¡¯m kind of irritated, but I think I¡¯ll hold off for a while. Besides, I have this truly massive room now. What was I thinking earlier? That seven crystal-lengths should be good? Stupid! Naive! Creatures are not even close to that size! Honestly¡­. Actually, there are probably many creatures lurking in that room, undiscovered and unclaimed. I check up on my creature again: still buried. Meaning that, in this massive space, if I want all the creatures I not only have to painstakingly look, I also have to randomly dig around? That¡¯s seriously annoying. I¡¯m dying, I¡¯ll do it, but it¡¯s seriously annoying. And the result after extensive looking is! ...4. The efficiency is bad. I tried just looking, I tried random digging and looking, I tried focusing on digging in one spot, I even tried sending a massive amount of the rocks flying all at once, nothing really worked. I have 5 creatures now, but if you were to ask me if it was worth it, I¡¯d tell you no. On top of that- [Mana total: 8,291A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Intake: 0 Expected Upkeep: 16] The situation hasn¡¯t changed even though I found more! I don¡¯t understand, somehow, but I¡¯ve got to find a better way. I say that but the creatures remain buried, even though I¡¯ve increased the number. Couldn¡¯t I just¡­ throw my mana around and have them be mine instantly? Like with the dirt. No wait, the idea isn¡¯t bad. After all, these creatures can be claimed without being specifically surrounded by mana or anything. So, even if I go in blind, it should be fine as long as I¡¯m thinking something like ¡°Claim the creature~¡± right? Let¡¯s just flood the place. It¡¯s my only option. Couldn¡¯t possibly do anything else. Nope. Saving mana is for the weak. Since that is the plan, let¡¯s go forth! I choose a random part of my room and launch the mana, letting it fill all gaps between the rocks until it feels sufficiently deep. Then, claim all the life! The mana seems to sink in, but I am able to detect signs of life. Right as I think so, the mana starts to rapidly disperse. No, ah, wait-!! The mana is gone. But, I was successful? Actually, I can sense several creatures in that spot now. A large amount of mana dispersed like ¡°poof¡±, but probably around 40 creatures arrive at the surface when I call for them. I see! [Mana Total: 7,985 Intake: 1 Expected Up: 16] I see!!! The efficiency is bad. Haha. But, at least I¡¯ve confirmed that mana intake is a real thing that can exist. Still, how many creatures do I have now? 40? 50? The efficiency is bad. No, I keep saying that somehow, but it¡¯s the truth. I look back over at the creatures, and they totally started goofing off since I¡¯ve stopped paying attention to them. This might be a good thing though. A lot of them seem to be wriggling around randomly. Some of them are hitting away rocks with their tails. Ah! One creature used its tails to attack another! The other one immediately turned and used its long tail to hit away the others before fleeing, so it was only a brief confrontation. I kept looking around and saw one suddenly stop hitting away rocks and wrap its tail around it instead. The tails carefully withdrew and the creature turned around and pounced. It landed on the rock and that rock directly entered its body. Um? What is this? ...This is a method of eating? The rock starting bubbling as it rapidly dissolved. Soon, there was only the bubbles, which then fused into one large bubble before being pushed out through a hole that mysteriously opened on the top of the creature. It ended in an instant, and the creature returned to its normal appearance. This¡­ this method of eating is similar to slimes. Slime? Wait, what? Before I could even process this errant thought, they appeared. Bursting out from within the rocks were several spherical objects. They were quite small, you could probably fit six of them within the oval body of my creature. They rapidly started stacking on top of each other to surround the creature that had just finished eating. Huh?! But! I! I had just soaked that entire area with mana!? Where- Before anything more could happen, a second creature moved in and sent its tails to attack the formation. It captured one by wrapping its long tail around it and all the spheres immediately disappeared back into the ground, moving as rapidly as they were when they first appeared. -! Wait, wait, wait! I need this new thing! I focus back onto the captured sphere. It¡¯s even more transparent than the first creatures, with a solid-looking mini-sphere floating inside of it. And- [Unknown Slime] -the creature moved its tail towards its body, consuming the sphere. Ah! Ahhhhh! I wasn¡¯t readddddyyyyy!!! Ch. 7: Slimes Are? Slimes. Slime-like way of eating. Unknown slimes in formation. Slimes. [Slimes: Despite being nearly immune to physical attacks, they are usually slow with limited means of attacking. Furthermore, they are instantly defeated should they receive even a little damage to the core. Because of this, slimes are considered to be weak overall and they are often only seen in beginner dungeons. It is recommended that you move on to better monsters should the opportunity arise.] The information all lines up. I, the beginner dungeon, have something like pseudo-slimes with a shot at getting some real slimes as well. Hmmm, though it still isn¡¯t clear if my first creatures are a sort of slime or not though. I think I understand. Those second creatures were listed as slimes because that sort of mini-sphere visible within them was a so-called ¡°core¡±, whereas it is¡­ not so? Perhaps? In the first creatures. Let¡¯s see¡­. Many tails of power: kitsune. No¡­. ¡°adorable ears¡±: not a kitsune. Semi-solid body capable of absorbing objects: slime. Squiggly, tangled mass in center¡ªnot a sphere, not solid-looking, not a core: not a slime. Final conclusion: it¡¯s some sort of halfway creature. Thus! They must be kitsune pseudo-slimes! With that, there was suddenly a massive burst of light. [Name accepted. Please wait for review.]Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ...What. What is this? I wait a little, but nothing else happened. Hm. Must be the Dungeon Network trying to distract me and waste my time. Stupid Network! I¡¯m on to you!! Hah, honestly. I would probably still be clueless without the Network, but why is it¡­ like this¡­ ... Let¡¯s just focus on more important things, like capturing our slimes. They had previously gathered around the kitsune pseudo-slimes, so¡­ Yep. All the kitsune pseudo-slimes have long since vanished under the rocks. It was silly to doubt like that. The kitsune pseudo-slimes is¡­ WAY TOO LONG TO SAY!! Ahhh! ...No. No wait, I need to focus. The, uh, the kit¡­ ki? ...p... s¡­ The kips. Kipses? Argh! Anyway! The kipsies hate being on the surface, but I need to properly see them for this. Thus, I give my second-ever command: well, it¡¯s the same as the first one! And all kipsies slowly emerge from the rocks. These cowards. Live in the¡­ the¡­ the real world a little! It¡¯s not like the surface leaves you too exposed¡­ I think. Actually, I have yet to see anything worth hiding from, so there. Let me observe you guys for a while. At first, they don¡¯t do anything, but after a little bit they start recreating the previous scene. I thought I would just have to wait and then the slimes would appear like last time, but what actually happened instead was a brawl. No joke, at least ten of the kipsies were spontaneously involved in a free-for-all struggle. Tails were flying everywhere. Some were whipped, some were entangled, and some were pounced on. All I could see was violence on all sides. This is¡­ not good. Somehow, I don¡¯t like this at all! I need to increase my number of creatures, not kill them off! I need to stop this, but how? I look around, and the majority of kipsies are still continuing as normal. Wait!!! Isn¡¯t this one being surrounded by slimes?! Ahh, I lost a connection! One of the kipsies died?! It looks like it was entangled by one kips and pounced on by another, who is now halfway through consuming it. The other kips is now- -I don¡¯t have time for this! And the slimes are already gone!! What do I do?! Will¡­. Will you guys just STOP!!! I don¡¯t need this kind of fighting!! ... ...Oh. Oh, right. I can give commands. ...Haha. Ch. 8: Slimes Are Slippery Many kipsies are now staring at me expectantly. I¡¯m so tired, so just¡­. Leave. Go back. Ah, wait, not you. The kips that was in the process of fitting another kips within its body. I definitely don¡¯t understand how it works, since theoretically they are the same size, but actually our kips has made real progress. Soon, it¡¯s done. Well, I say that but the long tail of the absorbed kips is still poking out and swinging around. I can¡¯t tell if it¡¯s a last struggle, or¡­ Suddenly, mana surges into the creature and it glows for a second. There¡¯s even a little bit of a sparkle effect, so that¡¯s kinda nea- [An evolution has been completed.] ¡­ The Dungeon Network is sort of annoying. Muu, I was properly watching already, okay. So even if you say evolution¡­. That¡¯s an unknown term, huh. [Evolution: The process in which a creature is able to grow into a new creature. With sufficient strength and mana, the evolution will trigger automatically. Special evolutions also exist, which require extra steps. Once an evolution has been unlocked, all creatures of the original species can more easily undergo the same evolution. Weaker creatures evolve faster than stronger ones and all creatures have a strength threshold that is extremely difficult to break though. It is recommended that you focus on other species should you encounter such a wall in evolutions.] Hm, a proper guide has managed to appear. So, evolve to win? But don¡¯t win too hard because you could hit a wall and get stuck? Well¡­ Our kips now is a bit bigger with a bonus long tail attached at the same point as the original. Survey says: [Kitsune Pseudo-Slime (name under review) +1] Eh. Okay. ¡°+1¡± tells me nothing though. Is ¡°+2¡± next? How high does the count go? Like a crackling assault¡­ my question isn¡¯t answered but various flashes occur and I think all kipsies simultaneously underwent evolution. Fast!A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Is a wall normally overcome in one goof-off session if this is the regular speed? It¡¯s scary to think about how many species other dungeons have if that¡¯s true. To focus on other species when the time required was only so much, I mean. Or are they just weak? ...That¡¯s also scary to think about. Why do they need to be so powerful? Who and what am I needing protection from? The needs of a dungeon are mysterious... Well! The so-called defense plans begin here then! Introducing our latest model, the ¡°+1¡±! Is it more slime-like or more kitsune-like now? Tails are the kitsune trait. Then, next I make them more slime-like? What even are slimes? They¡¯re so fast. A certain guide said ¡°usually slow¡± but that certain guide is already showing questionable reliability. Honestly. This time, I¡¯ll have the kipsies to the surface, but spread out! This a fool-proof plan presented by yours truly! And now, we wait. Patiently wait. Yes. ¡­ Have I now overcome an evolutionary wall? Too much time has passed! Geez. It would help if I could figure out what it was that got them to appear in the first place. I remember that the first time was after I saw that kips eating, so maybe? -You! Yes, you! Eat a thing!! My target kips seems confused. -Just find and consume! It is now spinning about randomly. -How hard is it to find a rock?! You are literally surrounded by rocks?! The kips starts to sporadically toss the rocks instead of eating them. By all the mana in my world, I¡¯ve raised this genius?! So proud. Look at this champion, confused even now! Is there a way to make it eat? Do I find a more capable individual? For now, I watch with only the greatest of expectations for sure, but eventually the kips does pause. After holding the rock aloft for a bit, it deems it acceptable and allows it to slowly sink into the main body. Perhaps there some rock requirements? Is this pickiness even necessary? I feel like I lost this battle somewhere. But, at least we¡¯ve made progress. The kips releases the bubble and as expected¡­ They actually appear?! Some appear from the rocks and others come literally flying in from who-knows-where in the air! I don¡¯t understand! Where were they before? Why are they so fast?! In what seems like the span of a mere tail twitch, they¡¯ve surrounded the kips. But jokes on them, I¡¯ve already started flooding that area! As they all become mine, I see bubbles forming in their bodies. Shortly after, they gather at a place a short space away from the kips before rapidly vanishing. What is left in their huddle spot is¡­. That¡¯s a recreation of the consumed rock. It¡¯s a miracle?! No wait, I still don¡¯t understand this eating concept I think. The Dungeon Network had placed a vague idea of it into my head, which is why seeing this felt wrong. This was my mistake because obviously the Dungeon Network was misleading me again. That¡¯s one mystery solved. Next is¡­ the slimes themselves. They¡¯ve all scattered away quite efficiently. Even when I track their locations they seem to be completely hidden away. To make my kipsies resemble these creatures is¡­ probably impossible? Slimes are next-level creatures. And these are for beginner dungeons?? At this point, I think I can be sure that some destroyer of worlds will invade my space. I¡¯m sure a veteran dungeon could fend such a fool off no problem, but for me this expectation seems a little daunting. I¡¯m sorry guys, I¡¯m not capable of defending this dungeon. After all, I can¡¯t even find the exit¡­.