Chapter 73 Establishing the network (1/2)

Exploration of the Dungeon has been the task of all the civilised races who make their homes above the ground ever since the first opening was made known to us.

However a unified approach and the free sharing of information has proven impossible to facilitate. Each kingdom, church, organisation or private army or n.o.ble house than has devoted resources into plumbing the depths and secrets beneath our feet has withheld their own slice of information from the common perception. h.o.a.rding slivers of information like family treasures.

There Is much information that has been publicly confirmed, however, enough that all citizens have a reasonable awareness of the world below, the dangers and opportunities that can be found there.

Some the key information regards the various Strata, the levels, defined by both their depth and the concentration of mana found there.

The First Strata is generally accepted to lie from the surface to five kilometres deep. It is frequently referred to as the Strata of Beasts, since most of the monsters found there are exaggerated, terrible hybrids of creatures that have long existed on the surface.

As for the lower Strata, the second and below, information is much harder to corroborate.

From the 'Knowledge of the people, a series of essays' by the Magio Scholar Tarius.

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I manage to pa.s.s a fairly profitable day in this manner.

During the quiet moments I manage to construct a third pitfall trap and add it my expanding network, excavating another tunnel to connect it all together and gaining another level of excavate as my reward.

My fairly crude traps have proven surprisingly capable, netting a consistent flow of prey that I have been able to finish off quickly and conceal within my tunnels, feeding the majority of the Bioma.s.s to Tiny and taking a little for myself.

Over the last day I managed to take four Bioma.s.s for myself, which I've stockpiled for the time being. I could take two upgrades to pheromones immediately but I don't particularly see the need. It isn't as if I'm cooperating with the colony at the moment so the pheromones won't help achieve anything.

I did start to feel a little guilty about leaving the colony to its own devices for this long. After digging out the third trap I decided to start the arduous process of connecting my small network of pitfall traps to the main nest by way of a rather long underground tunnel.

This particular project will take a long time to actually complete, particularly since I have to return to the traps to check on the situation every now and again, as well as making frequent, ever longer trips to transport the dirt and rock I've dug back to the surface.

Trying to discreetly dispose of all of this dirt is proving more and more difficult. I've had to travel ever further away from my pitfalls to find a s.p.a.ce to dispose of it and the area around my traps is starting to look a little odd, with small piles of dirt and stone popping up everywhere.

Thankfully whenever monsters stomp through the area they tend to scatter the dirt and pound it into the ground, concealing my work to some extent.

The biggest change over the last day has been Tiny. My loafing ape friend has been living the perfect life of luxury, waking up in time to feast and then sleeping immediately. Every time he wakes up he's grown a little larger and after repeating this process four times across the day he's shown significant growth, basically equaling me in size.

Your springtime of youth is finally here Tiny! Entering the growth phase is an important time for any monster. Perhaps Tiny is now in his teenage size, all he wants to do is sleep and eat. I'm half expecting to find him in the tunnel scratching crude graffiti on the walls and listening to punk music.

Joke aside, the little guy is no longer that little. If I can continue to feed him up at this pace he'll be able to display some strength in combat fairly soon. I can already see his arms starting to thicken up!

After killing a few more monsters I've gained the experience but I haven't managed to get that crucial level ten. Every time I finish off a monster now I await the p.r.o.nouncement of Gandalf with all of my soul but he hasn't given me those sweet, sweet words.

I know patience is required but it's so hard when the goal is so d.a.m.ned close!

I should just dig some more, let the feeling of ant-zen wash over me and take away my worldly desires.

I return to digging out my tunnel, eager to connect my small network of traps to the colony. Gradually I lose my sense of time as I work, it's just so satisfying.

There is no need, no desires, or wants. There is only the soil and rock in my mandibles.

CRAs.h.!.+

PREY! GETTEM!

Dropping the hunk of rock I'd been carrying I sprint towards my traps. So eager am I that I reach my next victim in merely moments.