Chương 29: A living dungeon.

Entry 328 Mum says the bigguns has an different system from you and I. That makes sense I guess doesn't it Mr Diary. Bigguns don't need a safety cause who what can hurt them! Gremlins and Gnomes like us need all the help we can get through. Did you know Uncle Joe has over Twinty Tweent 20 safety? He can blip from danger 20 times a day! I wonder what level Joe is. I'm only level 3 and I only have one stupid safety. Entry 329 Carol is mean to me. Next time I get a findings quewst I'm going to blame it on her.

She thinks she's a biguns with how she acts. It makes me so mad. I thought about opening the cage to her skyslugs pen but that would be mean. I'm better than her. Sluggo doesn't diserve that even if his owner is a bad stupid. Entry 331 I'm Sorry Mr Diary. I forgot to talk to you yestday. Today Uncle Joe brought me out into the biggun town and we watched the strange giants!!! Most are like Big versions versons of Us but some are strange and have pointy eirs ears. I saw one with blue skin. That can't be helthy.

I wonder if they ate too many bluebearies. Greedy. You only need one! Today was a good day. Excerpts obtained from the Diary of a young Gremlin. Okay! I have a bit of the more concentrated material left but not a lot… I guess I can use it for experimentation? The best way of experimenting with it is probably using it as a mana insulator. Looking at the room right outside the door gave Innearth some fond memories. This was the Living crystal room. There's a covered pile of monster corpses over there.

Smiling while looking at how far he had come Innearth destroyed the room. Stripping the room of materials and shuffling them into random corners of his dungeon left it mostly barren. Okay, center of the room seems best. Expanding the whole room to where the old pit was in the middle of his focus, Innearth started covering the walls of the pit in less effective null stone – it wasn't nearly as useful as the material directly under where the Demon had been sleeping, but it was more plentiful.

It didn't feel as much like wasting it to use it for experimentation. As his pit formed into a smooth round cylinder of a hole, he fashioned a lid out of the rest of the higher concentration material. Capping the cylinder Innearth thought about what his plan was and tried to think of the best way to complete it. He wanted to increase the mana level in a small area to insane levels and hopefully keep it contained enough to try and mutate materials.

Up until now, he had been loath to simply release mana in an area – as it dissipated and became environmental mana it lost its strength rapidly. His solution to try and create a proper crystal biome had been to give most of his monster's crystal cores and have them constantly fighting. This old plan was coming along nicely! Nearly constant blasts of mana filled his halls. As time passed his dungeon had warped and became faceted with new subtle effects sprinkled about like seasoning.

Some places had sprouted different shaped crystals spontaneously and the air itself had started taking on a frosty clear feeling after months of this action. Living crystals spread from most of the dead monsters that had included bits of them in their makeup. While a few new completely crystalline plants had popped into existence nearly spontaneously in a few random spots.

– He hadn't been paying attention when they appeared, but Innearth guessed they were somewhat related to the few Life mana experiments he had done... heavily warped by the ambient Crystal mana. One such plant was a furry green diamond shape, with several jagged white roots that spread through the hallway it was centred in. This... crystal plant, seemed to drink the remains of monsters that died near it, growing bigger each time it did so.

Another was a spiralling crystal spring that dug through the ground and left faint ribs where it poked out and grew. It didn't do anything as far as Innearth could tell, but seemed to stare at everything around it constantly giving him an unnerving feeling. The crystal biome wasn't enough to make a lot of unique materials, however. Or strong unique materials. At least not yet. For that Innearth wanted to cheat slightly with a much smaller volume. Okay! What about making a small tube to pump mana into this box?

On the side of his embedded vessel, Innearth designed a drinking straw shaped tube poking through a single point. It was made out of Crystal mana and as much of it as Innearth could use before it started leaking all of it. W… what would happen if I claim this? Somewhat on a whim, Innearth passed his influence through the straw. Just to see if it would let him pump mana through more efficiently.

As his influence passed through the straw, it clung to the walls of the tubes more and more before integrating it into himself. Suddenly the inside of the vessel was crystal clear. … huh. Pin in that for when I finish. I WILL get back to it. Pushing his entire mana pool into Crystal mana and then pumping it slowly through his straw Innearth realized he had forgotten something. The material I want to mutate should probably go in here first huh.

Taking a chunk of basalt from his inventory – to make sure it didn't already have mana in it – Innearth dropped it in his capsule and closed the lid once more. Next, Innearth pumped more and more Crystal mana into the vessel, watching the few small changes happen to the stone as he cooked it. At some point, the pressure was too great and it started to push back through the tube. Innearth deemed this meant it was good enough. It's probably going to take a while to get anything interesting. It's okay though.

I can wait. Returning to the straw concept now that his meal was cooking. Innearth tried making a second one embedded in his wall this time. Wrapping it all the way around his room and into the hall. Claiming this wall straw, gave a burst of vision and the far reaches of his dungeon came slightly more into focus. This… this is better than hallways for spreading influence? Testing something out Innearth designed a second door – this one completely crystal – and then claimed it. Dropping this door…

still cut off influence but to a much lower degree than anything else he'd used to block off stuff. Okay… what if I add air holes? Poking several needle-thin holes in his crystal door, he slowly speckled the entire thing, observing his influence transfer rise slowly once again. Finally reaching the same point it had before he had blocked the wall off Innearth stared. Well. No reason to leave this as a door. I can't imagine anyone needing a reason to reach my core room itself. Or even the room right before it.

Fusing the door to the wall, Innearth started running a branching network of crystal tubes throughout his whole dungeon. The process was important, and his control grew faster and faster the more he did so. He expanded past his first column room, ripping out a groove in the wall and laying a pipe past a very curious water slime. It left its hidey-hole and followed him along watching the new pipes being laid and covered roughly in stone. Influence vein is not for water slimes... get off that. Go on. Get.

Pain in my hallways that one is. As Innearth expanded the amount of work it took to expand grew as well and he had been putting off the process after claiming the dungeon. Now however, it was back to being as easy as when he had first started out – the influence transfer at the edge of his area as strong as the center. No, even easier – because he was much stronger now than when he started out. He tried pondering the reason for these… dungeon veins?

He was trying to figure out the reason they worked much better than anything else he had tried. They straight up obsoleted his mana vents, speeding up influence transfer by a much larger factor at a smaller size. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Is it because they are claimed? He tried making a metal earth tube and claiming it… Well, this kind of works but it's less effective. Making another fire tube this time and there was nearly no effect.

It's either because of my crystal affinity… or the fact that technically my core is made out of crystal and these veins are crystal? There was an easy way to check this and it involved asking a different core to try making a tube out of their affinity. Innearth: Hey Abe. Weird question. Make fire tubes or explosion ones if you can and then claim them. Abe: HAH. I was just about to message you. I'm level 20! Innearth: Drat you really are catching up. I'm only level 22 now. Hey, don't distract me though. Make tubes!

Abe:: 3< Abe: Alright bro, whatever you want me to test. … Abe: What am I supposed to see? I was expecting an explosion. NGL big disappoint bro. Innearth: Does your influence travel through it better? Abe: It's… a slightly better increase in influence? That's pretty cool I guess. Innearth: Got it. Crystal mana is the best. Thanks that's all I needed. Abe: Wait what? Come back. Innearth chuckled to himself and waited a suitable amount of time....

Deciding that was enough he returned to the chat and explained how he had increased his range dramatically with high mana crystal tubes. Abe: the world loves you huh. Got it. Carry on nothing new here. Abe: Anyways! I was going to message you because I finished going over the magma materials you sent me. This one is the hottest material. #1 so pretty neat. Oh, it's uh the 24 th one you sent me. Abe: Gotta say bro, it's harder to measure temperature than it is to measure distance.

I have a fire affinity and all I can say is that it's "hot" maybe 3000 degrees or something. Melts through any containers it's put in and is a right slippery bugger. Abe: This one looks similar in that it breaks containers but it's actually much cooler (both in temperature and what it does). It also works differently. Uh, It "converts" stone and most base materials like individual metals to magma. Abe: Yeah uh, somehow converts is different than melts?

Seems dangerous as it could spread through your whole dungeon if you don't pay attention. Meh Idk how else to describe it moving on. Innearth: Thanks for doing this... I do think as a fire core you probably have more insights for these materials... I can tell you are trying. Abe: Yeah Yeah settle down in the back. I'll take any questions at the end. Where was I? Yeah there are a dozen different variations of just uncooling magma. Uh... I got bored looking through them they are all mostly the same.

I think they are just Earth+Fire and 2 elements, but they didn't explode or do anything fun like that so meh. Abe: Oh, uh. There's also this magma that cools down into solid stone but melts again if you add some mana. That might be useful? Either way the more important question is how we should go about exploding them. Abe: That's the goal right? Explode flaming hot pieces of magma onto adventures? Innearth: I mean sure if that's what you want to do with your share.

I'mma see about using them as materials for my magma spiders, I was just seeing if any were special enough to keep you know? Do you know how to make the hottest one? Innearth: Anyways, working on some other stuff right now, either way. How's tier 3 treating you? Innearth returned to finishing his monsters while talking to Abe on the side. Let's see, I should probably start setting up some goals right now. #1 reach the surface obviously. I want to get some adventurers in me!

I wonder how they will react to my monsters!! Can't wait. #2 reach level 33. I can probably get there pretty easily if I just continue doing what I'm doing. Nice slow trickle from all my monsters fighting and gaining experience then dying. By doing goal 1 and having my regeneration tick up – or by making floors – I should get some experience. Also obviously innovation, if I keep improving my monsters I should reach the level in no time.

#3 is sort of a sub goal of #1, but I obviously want the part I expand to the surface to be an actual dungeon… not just a long hallway. Oh, and I want to make those lil tubes everywhere I expand. OH! I also want to finish that puzzle and make more traps. And #4… sort of a side quest but I want to make a single monster good enough to impress Amy's friend " Brutality Queen". Not sure if I want to be her friend if she's basing friendship on how strong of a monster you can make…

but it's also a challenge and I don't want to leave it alone. Timeline wise... not that important. I'll try and challenge it when I feel up to the task. But I do want to challenge her sometime. Goal 1 means I really should start expanding right away… a small portion of my attention can be set to that immediatly. Starting expansion once more, Innearth left the process running at his favourite "equilibrium" of matching his regeneration.

Then he suddenly stopped and started expanding his dungeon circuit up towards his expansion instead. After a time, the process became one of those things he did autonomously – like his constant background repopulating of his monster population or expanding in the background when he got enough motivation to. When that reaches the top I can try and expand at the same time as growing that network… Now that that's started, Goal 2 is kind of covered by everything else…

but I could also try and speed it up by trying to get a source of the most expensive part of monsters – the cores. It's... hard to work on my other goals if all my mana is tied down by expansion. I don't think I can handle not being able to make monsters just because I'm expanding… I could try my hand at capitalism? I don't really want to just sell my schematics. I worked hard on those and don't want another Core getting credit for it.

They might be a better sales core and start undercutting me with my own schematics! I guess I could sell some empty monsters? I'm not sure how lucrative that is I was browsing the monsters in the buy category earlier and a lot of cores seem to be selling them at nearly the cost of creation. Maybe I'm looking at this wrong. I could make schematics specifically for selling so it doesn't matter if another core gets the credit?... okay that gives me an idea but it's kind of shifty. It sounds smart...

but I'm not sure if it's something that might piss some Cores off. Let's try and ask my conscience if it's a good idea. Innearth: Hey Amy, what do you think about me buying schematics from the market. Trying to improve them and then re-selling the improved schematics and undercutting the original seller? Amy: That... might make a few people angry Innearth. You have kind of been hiding away from the public chat but some Cores can get pretty vicious.

Innearth: But am I not doing the public a service by increasing the quality of the general schematics? Also what can they even do to me lol, send me a shifty gift of a demon? I'm pretty sure I can tell if something's shady and protect myself. I'm not dumb. Amy: Sure but is there a reason to make enemies if you don't have any? You haven't been in conflict with a core and I don't see why you would want to be just to - what? Make some cores and advance a tiny bit faster?

There's no reason to be mean if you don't have to. Innearth: yeah I mean I guess that makes sense. I'm planning on trying to advance around the same time as my friends anyways so there isn't much point in advancing faster than you guys... I just don't want to be completely tied down by expansion. Okay, so my conscience says no. I'll ask a more neutral party what he thinks. Innearth: Hey Abe what do you think about this idea. … Abe: Nice, LOL. Abe: do what you want bro.

If you make any enemies, they will be my enemies as well. I can gift them a lovely little boom if they harass you and make the problem go away: 3. I gotchu. Innearth: Wow okay then. Glad to see you'd kill a Core for me… I don't think it would get to that point - so there's really no need to go that far - but I'm glad to see you are on my side. That's one for and one against… tie breaker for this plan is Bose. … Bringer Of Serene Eternity: Okay. So, two things. First off you are underestimating how…

mentally taxing making enemies are. I don't know if you have a thick enough skin to handle a Core constantly messaging you "Kill yourself. Do it. Crack your core and die. No one likes you. Your manner of speech is stupid. You make me sick. Kill yourself so the worlds a better place" etc. I wouldn't want that to happen to you: 3. … some of those seemed suspiciously specific… is Bose okay? He was also talking a bit less… Bose-like. Was that in part because of a comment he received?

Bringer Of Serene Eternity: HOWEVER… I think you are overestimating how much hate you would get for improving the general schematics… I bet you tried to think of how you would feel if someone started selling your schematics for a lower price and based it off of that right? Well I can guarantee you, none of the top schematics in the market were made by the cores selling them. Some were nice and waited for the creator of those schematics to advance before taking over and selling them.

Others have undercut their competitors to reach the point they are now. Bringer Of Serene Eternity: Why do you think most of the schematics are so cheap? They were undercut several several times to reach their current point. Bringer Of Serene Eternity: So on that note, I think you should try and improve schematics and then sell them for higher. With any luck your improvements will be stolen within a few sales – the original seller may even start selling your version.

As long as you aren't being too aggressive you really won't make any pointless enemies doing that. Bringer Of Serene Eternity: Now you probably won't piss anyone off - many might think they are taking advantage of you that way but I really can't promise anything. As soon as you put yourself out there you have a chance of getting haters even if you do nothing wrong. NOTHING WRONG AT ALL OKAY! Bringer Of Serene Eternity: Pending that, May your enemies fall into the Everlasting Abyss of true serenity.

I will aid you in making sure that happens. Innearth: … okay. That's surprisingly helpful. Thanks! I'll see about doing that… and hey. You're my friend no? If anything gets too much I can help! Please feel free to call on me. I'm not sure what I can do but I'm sure I can help a friend out somehow. Bringer Of Serene Eternity: That's… My apprentice. You need not concern yourself with trivial matters. My Eternal dungeon shall exist from now until the end of time.

The Abyss speaks to my soul and I too speak to the Abyss. Innearth: Open offer all the same: 3 Let's see. Innearth… had way too many things to do. Checking his monsters, he saw the "crazy ball mother" he had slightly forgotten about was out of ammo… her insane "offspring" having perished at some point over the past few days. I should figure out how to let the mother heal those/remake its ammo. There's not much point if it's not hands-off.

The snakes needed to be upgraded for two reasons – one so they could stand against the bats and spiders and two – so he could use it for the strength test. It kind of made him uncomfortable having the stronger spiders be located higher up/at a lower floor than the snakes. Is that a dungeon instinct? Or just common sense? It's definitely breaking that smooth upwards scaling progression goal. I think I should start selling stuff for mana.