《The World Dungeon of Stories》
C – 1: Doing what Dungeon’s do best
Dungeons, what are they?
Dungeons are naturally forming entities that take the shape of structures, a series of caves, and many other things. Dungeons come in a great many different varieties and combinations, mainly providing unique areas that a Diver could explore and slay monsters. At the same time, they search for loot and treasure the Dungeons naturally produce to draw in Divers.
Dungeons also come in many different types, whether it be Floored Dungeons, Cave Dungeons, Tower Dungeons, Structured Dungeons, Field Dungeons, and even floating island Dungeons. Still, there exist two types that produce extremely dangerous or deadly dungeons, these being Dimensional Dungeons and World Dungeons.
Dimensional Dungeons make up a small dimension that grows with time and energy. These Dungeons can seemingly freely connect and disconnect with other dungeons and planes, making it hard to keep track of the Dungeon.
World Dungeons, however, were much more dangerous but just as unique. Instead of taking the form of a theme or ''type,'' World Dungeons seemed to create entire worlds in their dungeons, bringing forth countless different monsters from different themes. Not only that, but World Dungeons were also known to construct lore, produce unique environments, items, and so much more for their Dungeons, with some World Dungeons living long enough to create an entire world within their depths.
Luckily, Dungeons most exhibit very basic intelligence.
However, what most don''t know, is that some Dungeons are intelligent, allowing for more complex designs to their dungeon interiors, monsters, traps, and loot.
And the smarter of the Dungeons are even capable of speech and complex thought.
What happens if you combine one such intelligent core with the Dimensional and World type?
No one knows, or, to be more accurate, no one knew until now. As a Newborn, Core was born.
This newborn Core, while confused, knew its purpose.
To build, expand, and grow stronger while providing raw resources, training, and systematic resources to Dungeon Divers.
At the moment, the newborn Core was going over some of the knowledge within its head, pondering what type of monster it should start with to help in its expansion.
At first, it was considering going with a low-intelligence Goblin, an incredibly weak dungeon monster with great amounts of potential for evolution and growth, but decided against it since, as it was an organic monster, it would need sustenance to function for long periods of time.
But with some thought, it did find a suitable monster worker that wouldn''t require substance, could work tirelessly, and had the potential for growth.
The monster? Skeletons, weak monsters under the Undead type that, while not nearly as filled with potential as Goblins, still had great potential for evolutionary growth.
And as an added bonus, the Undead Type Monsters had a great many abilities, magic, and skills that suited combat against the living, which was an added bonus for the Core.
And with it currently only having its Core Room that makes up its Dungeon, it wanted to expand as quickly as possible to hide its core and prevent early destruction.
Due to many Dungeons not hiding their cores early on in life, most are destroyed or enslaved by the very Divers Dungeons that seek to use and nourish so that they can grow.
You see, Dungeons need Divers. Divers bring in and leak mana and nourish the Dungeon with energy over time, allowing for much faster growth, and if a Diver were to die inside the Dungeon? All of their energy would be collected by the Dungeon. Still, while most foolish cores seek to end every adventurer that seeks to dive into their Dungeons, some, like itself, would prefer to nourish the Divers until they grow strong enough to give off a much greater amount of energy inside their Dungeon and eventually succumb to the Dungeon''s much stronger monsters deeper in its interior.
Although the newborn didn''t really care, it just wanted to build, expand, and grow while it created something truly beautiful and stunning.
And for the first few moments of its birth, while it thought of all of this, a stream of messages echoed in the youngling''s mind.
[Birth of a New Dungeon Core found]
[Adding into System]
[Scanning Core]
[Dimension Type Documented]
[World Type Documented]
[Intelligence Documented]
[Generating Status...done]
/=====+=====\
Dungeon Name: None
Individual Name: None
Dungeon Type: Dimensional and World
Mana Units Per 24 hours: 1,000 Units
Mana Storage: [5,000/15,000 Units]
Monsters: 0
Difficulty: 0
Abilities: [Creation], [Absorption], [Manipulation], [Monster Communication], [Monster Domination], [Contract Creation], [Rule Creation], [Select Evolution], [Dungeon Portal Creation], [Dimensional Manipulation]
\=====+=====/
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Deciding to ignore such messages since it knew instinctually everything stated, it got to work on creating its first monster.
Sadly it only had very basic knowledge, such as a few different weak monsters, some plants, basic knowledge of all its being, and some examples of normal dungeons and how they operate along with how it''s supposed to operate.
Frankly, though, the youngling didn''t care about how it was supposed to act and operate as a Dungeon.
Focusing back on the task at hand, the young Dungeon began designing its first monster in its mind, a Human Skeleton with weak and brittle bones, with two empty eye sockets with two small red lights that represented its eyes.
Creating said skeleton took about 100 Units of Mana, but the skeleton by itself was useless unless he had a monster that could sustain itself with bones.
The next part would be to imbue the Skeleton with Necrotic Mana and to reanimate it, making it into an undead.
Mana came in countless different types and forms, and while the Dungeon Core knew instinctively that there existed other types of energy, it only knew a few, Mana, being the most important that it knew.
As it transformed about 15 Units of Mana into its Necrotic variant, a Black cloud of energy formed above its core on its pedestal before flowing into the Skeleton''s body, reanimating it into an Undead.
With the red lights igniting in its eye sockets, the Skeleton slowly got up from the ground and stood there, which did not surprise the core, seeing as most undead, upon reanimation, creation, or birth, lacked any intelligence and, in most cases, were either just feral or puppets for a Necromancer or similar mage.
The core noted that the information it had from birth was a bit strange and seemed to be incomplete, seeing as it knew what some things were, yet didn''t know a great many other things.
Focusing back onto the Undead, the core scanned over its being with its senses.
Annoyingly, another screen blocked the Core''s ''eyes.''
/=====+=====\
Name: None
Species: Skeleton (Undead)
Size Type: Medium
Level: 1
Health: 60/60 (17.5 Per Hour)
Mana: 0/0 (0)
Stamina: ¡Þ/¡Þ
Abnormalities/Mutations: None
Physical Attributes:
[Atk] Strength: 5
[Atk] Agility: 5
[Def] Vitality: 5 (+2 Health, +3 Health Regeneration, +1 Stamina Regeneration)
[Def] Endurance: 10 (+5 Health, +3 Stamina, +0.25 Health Regeneration)
[Support] Perception: 5
[Support] Reaction: 5
Mental Attributes:
[Atk] Intelligence: 0 (+2 Mana, +0.25 Mana Regeneration)
[Atk] Wisdom: 0 (+0.5 Mana, +1 Mana Regeneration)
[Def] Willpower: 0
[Def] Resistance: 5
[Support] Control: 0
[Support] Focus: 0
Skills: [Bone Replacement Lvl 1]
Perks: [Infinite Stamina], [Horde Mentality Lvl 1]
Level Up Rewards: 5 Stat Points
Drops: Variety of Bones [Grade: Trash(F)] (60%), Bonemeal [Grade: Trash(F)] (20%)
\=====+=====/
Once again, ignoring the screen that appeared within its mind, the core scanned its body thoroughly, finding that what the screen stated was correct.
A simple skeleton that only cost the Core 115 Units of Mana to create.
Even then, the Skeleton was weak, slow, couldn''t think, and would easily be destroyed by even a human child of age 14 and above, not that the core knew what a Human was, let alone a human child.
And despite all its imperfections and utter weakness, each monster inside a Dungeon had the potential to grow and evolve. Sure, while some monsters may hit the end of a particular evolution tree, a great many monsters could grow to become literal Gods, given time, experience, and energy.
And Dungeons could set their created monsters at set levels, evolutions, and more so long as a monster of theirs has reached the stage and strength and have the Dungeon memorize the Monster''s genetic make-up, allowing for much easier replenishment of high leveled monsters after death.
Of course, memorizing the Monster''s makeup would result in a carbon copy of the dead monster upon recreation, which is why it''s better to have a wide array of monster samples so that the Dungeon can make some adjustments if needed without the whole body falling apart. And while this did require experimentation to get it right, it wouldn''t be too hard so long as it wasn''t an incredibly complex and unique creature.
If Dungeons didn''t do this, they would have to create basic monsters and grow them to the point they could replace the dead high-level monster, which would take too much time and too many resources the Dungeon could use elsewhere.
Focusing back on the Skeleton standing within its core room, the Core ordered the Skeleton to start digging away at the compact dirt that made up the room''s walls with its skeletal hands.
Seeing that it was inefficient with its hands, the Core used a single unit of mana to create a block of stone which shifted into the form of a shovel that the Core commanded the Skeleton to use.
At first, the Skeleton was even less efficient than it was using its hands. Still, after the Core mentally imprinted how it should use the tool, the skeleton''s digging efficiency greatly increased. The core began absorbing all the loose dirt into itself for later use or recycling.
The Core''s Dimension was currently in the shape of a perfect square, with its core room sitting directly in the middle of the dimension.
The Core could shift and change the shape of the Dimension at will and even increase its size but didn''t really have any say about the inside of the Dimension that the Core hasn''t claimed and connected itself with yet.
And as far as it could tell, its Dimension was currently filled with dirt, which it would have to begin removing so that it could build a basic floor with weak monsters.
Sure, it could just use its mana to dig out and absorb all the compact dirt, but the Core felt it would be much cheaper on its resources to create monsters to do the work instead.
Speaking of Monsters, the Core created three more skeletons as well equipping them with stone shovels as well.
With each skeleton going in a different direction, it only took a few hours before four hallways were created from the Core room.
With its current layout being that of a cross with a square at the center, the core had the four skeletons begin digging out rooms at the end of the hallways they dug out.
The Core wanted first to dig out an entire floor and everything above the floor before creating an atmosphere and fake sky.
With its Dimension currently taking the shape of a cube, it would leave half of the Dimension underground and the other half in an open area. Of course, the Dimension currently lacks oxygen and various other gases, so if a Diver were to enter, they would die from suffocation. For most Dungeons, this was not a problem, seeing as once the entrance was open, the gas would leak in, but for Dimensional Dungeons? They would have to create the gases themselves since they wouldn''t leak in through the portals the Dungeon Uses to connect to other dimensions.
While the Skeletons endlessly worked to expand the rooms they dug out, the Core quickly glanced at the stone shovel of one of the Skeletons, curious.
/=====+=====\
Item Name: None
Item Type: Tool/Weapon (Shovel)
Grade: Trash
Description: A simple shovel made of stone that was created by the Unnamed Dungeon for its Skeletons to use as tools.
Note 1: This Tool will easily break or snap in half if used on anything other than dirt.
Note 2: This counts as a Drop from the Skeleton with a 50% chance of dropping upon death.
\=====+=====/
Ignoring the screen blatantly calling its creation trash, the core focused on the Skeleton and the shovel it used.
As the screen suggested, the shovel could only be described as trash. It was clear that the stone would easily chip and break if used on anything other than dirt and was best not used as a weapon.
Wanting to try something, the Core gathered up five units of mana and infused the stone with it.
/=====+=====\
Item Name: None
Item Type: Tool/Weapon (Shovel)
Grade: Uncommon
Description: A simple shovel made from mana-infused stone that was created by the Unnamed Dungeon
Enchantments: [Durability II] and [Mana Efficiency I]
Note 1: This Tool will easily break or snap in half if used on anything other than dirt.
Note 2: This counts as a Drop from the Skeleton with a 50% chance of dropping upon death.
Note 3: Mana-Infusment of this tool has greatly raised the tool''s durability and Mana efficiency, allowing for the digging of tougher materials and an easier cast of spells on and through the item.
\=====+=====/
C – 2: Plans and setting the foundations for life
Examining the new additions to the screen and examining the tool itself, the Core felt somewhat pleased seeing the noticeable improvements to the tool.
Infusing mana into the other shovels being used by the Skeletons revealed the same effects. Upon infusing more mana into one of the shovels, the Core didn''t expect a small explosion to take place, completely destroying the arms of the skeleton that was holding it.
Checking the skeleton''s health on the screen, it states that the Skeleton has lost 20 of its 60 HP. It also states that it should regenerate most o the lost HP in about an hour.
Leaving that particular skeleton idle so it could regenerate its lost health, the core created another stone shovel in an empty room section. It began slowly and carefully infusing mana into the stone again, trying to replicate the effects on the previous shovel.
As it observed the shovel and the amount of mana it infused within, it eventually exploded as the mana became unstable, and the stone could no longer house it.
Just before exploding, the screen that continues to annoy the core stated that the stone shovel achieved [Durability VI] and [Mana Efficiency III], and it also stated, [Material is not strong enough to contain the Mana], which the Core already deduced due to the explosion that emanated from the item.
And while the Core did want to continue its research, it decided that now was not the time. Upgrading each shovel the skeletons were using and creating a new one for the healing skeleton. The Core focused back on the progress the Skeletons were making.
Having spent 612 Units of Mana, the Core felt slightly frustrated by how little it gathered every hour. Unless it could find a way to increase its mana gathering besides naturally increasing its size, the Core felt it would take centuries at this rate to build its dungeon to a decent point.
[115 (100 Units for a skeleton, 15 for animation) * 4 = 460 Units + 40 (Creation Cost of the first four Stone Shovels = 10 Units each) = 500 + 45(15 Units of Mana for full end enchantment before the explosion for the three non-destroyed shovels) = 545 + 16 (cost of the first enchanted shovel that exploded) = 561 + 26(Full cost of the second shovel that was observed before destruction) = 587 + 25 (Replacement shovel that was created after the first two were destroyed) = 612 Units of Mana]
[A/N: This is why I don''t like having to do calculations. Easy to lose track or get frustrated, so don''t expect me to take calculations seriously. It will mostly be guestimation]
Of course, there was another way to increase its mana attraction, Divers.
Divers naturally leaked mana and are covered in the stuff from their homes when they enter the Dungeon, allowing the Dungeons to gather and use the mana they bring.
Not to mention, upon death, the Dungeon would also absorb all of the mana within their bodies.
But, Divers were limited in number, they could easily die, and if they were too weak, it wouldn''t even be worth killing them.
For now, the Core would have to grow itself the normal way, at least until it found a way to increase its mana attraction.
By the time 24 hours passed and the Skeletons were only about 15% of the way done, the Core decided to make four more skeletons and enchanted stone shovels to assist in the digging, with two skeletons each in the four directions constantly digging, the progress became much more visible.
And while the Skeletons continued to dig away at the compact dirt, the Core began creating soil from some of the dirt that the Core collected from the Skeletons and slowly covered the ground with the soil.
What the Core planned on was completely digging out the top half of its dimension and leaving the bottom half to serve as the ground for its dungeon. After the skeletons dig out all the dirt from the top, the Core would begin pumping out various breathable gases into the Dimension so that life can survive.
Once the gases would be created, the Core would then add sources of water across the surface and even under the surface before it started creating various yet basic plant life to inhabit the surface.
These plants would act as food, materials, cover, and various other things that would assist the Core''s monsters and its future divers.
But before it can do any of that, it would have to dig away all the dirt that is currently filling up the top half of the Dungeon.
And while the Core felt it could make cave systems for the beginnings of its Dungeon, it felt it was too simple, too...easy, and wouldn''t serve as a good challenge to experienced Divers.
The Core wanted to build more. Beauty in both Complexity and Simplicity, it wanted to create so much more than just a Cave system that housed Monsters that existed to be easily defeated by Divers.
It wanted to build a world, and it knew that it was possible. It would only take time.
Transforming the dirt into life-bearing soil was quite expensive to the Core''s reserves, but it felt it was worth the cost for the future of its Dungeon. The water, however, was not that expensive to the Core.
Compared to when the Core awoke, it was making quite the progress.
Stolen story; please report.
As 72 more hours passed, a noticeable amount of progress has again been made.
The Core now had 16 Skeletons, all equipped with Enchanted Shovels, with four working in each direction to dig.
Most importantly, blades of grass were now growing inside the giant rooms the Skeletons continued to expand by digging.
From my estimates, it would take a few days for the grass to spread completely across the currently excavated rooms and areas that the Skeletons have dug out, and as for the Skeletons'' progress, they were about 65% of the way done.
Based on miles, from one side to the other was a distance of 2 miles, with the Core room sitting right in the middle at the one-mile mark from both sides, leaving quite the amount that the Skeletons have to dig, it was astonishing they managed to progress as far as they have already.
The only reason they made this much progress was because of their inexhaustible stamina, their enchanted shovels, and their increasing proficiency in digging and using a shovel.
For example, looking at the screen of the first created skeleton revealed a new addition to the ''skills.''
/=====+=====\
Name: None
Species: Skeleton (Undead)
Size Type: Medium
Level: 1
Health: 60/60 (17.5 Per Hour)
Mana: 0/0 (0)
Stamina: ¡Þ/¡Þ
Abnormalities/Mutations: None
Physical Attributes:
[Atk] Strength: 5
[Atk] Agility: 5
[Def] Vitality: 5 (+2 Health, +3 Health Regeneration, +1 Stamina Regeneration)
[Def] Endurance: 10 (+5 Health, +3 Stamina, +0.25 Health Regeneration)
[Support] Perception: 5
[Support] Reaction: 5
Mental Attributes:
[Atk] Intelligence: 0 (+2 Mana, +0.25 Mana Regeneration)
[Atk] Wisdom: 0 (+0.5 Mana, +1 Mana Regeneration)
[Def] Willpower: 0
[Def] Resistance: 5
[Support] Control: 0
[Support] Focus: 0
Skills: [Bone Replacement Lvl 1], [Digging Mastery Lvl 28], [Shovel Mastery Lvl 14]
Perks: [Infinite Stamina], [Horde Mentality Lvl 1]
Level Up Rewards: 5 Stat Points
Drops: Variety of Bones [Grade: Trash] (60%), Bonemeal [Grade: Trash] (20%), Enchanted Stone Shovel [Grade: Uncommon] (50%)
\=====+=====/
It now had a skill for ''Digging'' and ''Shovel Mastery.''
And upon closer inspection, a new screen appeared.
/=====+=====\
Skill Name: Digging Mastery
Skill Rarity: Common
Lvl: 28
Description: Ever felt the need or want to dig a hole or tunnel? Well, then, this skill is the one for you!
Effects: +28% faster when digging
\=====+=====/
/=====+=====\
Skill Name: Shovel Mastery
Skill Rarity: Common
Lvl: 14
Description: Masters of the Shovel, a tool one could use to dig and excavate, and a tool that could be used to defend and attack.
Effects: Shovels are 14% easier to wield and use.
\=====+=====/
In some way, unknown to the Core, the Screens were physically improving the Skeletons in ways the Core couldn''t understand. For every ''Level'' the Skeletons achieved in these ''Skills,'' a slight but noticeable improvement could be seen in the speed and ease at which the Skeletons worked to dig.
Speaking of the Skeletons'' work, they made it to the Dimensional border a while ago, which only revealed the empty void outside the Dimensional fabric that made the shell of the Dimension.
So, to prevent distractions or discomfort to Divers later on, the Core covered the fabric in a thin sheet of bright blue light, preventing Divers from peering past it and into the void.
After all, if you look into the abyss, the abyss will look back into you.
And, it wouldn''t help the Core at all if it gained the reputation of Divers going insane or being corrupted after they came out of its depths.
It also could corrupt and drive even the Core mad if it looked into the void for too long, so this barrier would act as insurance for itself and its divers.
The remaining dirt the Skeletons had to dig was stuck on the ceiling of the dimension, slowing down the Skeletons'' work due to the fact they had to climb upon mounds of dirt that the Core summoned so they could hack away at the ceiling, loosing the dirt for the Core to absorb and use to raise the mounds the Skeletons stood upon.
The Core found it greatly amusing to see the Skeletons climb up mounds of dirt to dig away at the ceiling, only to tumble down to the ground every little while due to misstepping, losing balance, or tripping.
Picture a Skeleton climbing up a large mound of dirt to dig away at the ceiling, only to take a step forward intending on going up further, only to step over the mound and start falling down the other side of the mound.
It was only a matter of time before the Skeletons completed their objective, and the Core could get to work on terraforming the excavated room into a functioning biome.
With the last bit of dirt stuck to the ceiling of the Dimension gone, the Core could finally put all its effort into turning the surface of its Dungeon into one bearing life, but first, the Core could finally replace the ceiling with a fake sky.
Although the Core, of course, hasn''t ever seen a sky or many other natural wonders, its mind was engrained with many images with meanings attached. However, those images and meanings typically didn''t contain much information, if any at all, other than names.
The Core knew in time, and it would get to learn more about these images and what they actually mean for itself.
With a wave of mana that flooded out from its Core, a blanket formed on the barrier that blocked vision into the void, and a pale blue sky with bright yellow sun formed in the sky.
But this wasn''t all. The sky would function as a light source and a source of nutrition for the plants that inhabited the dungeon surface and function as a working day and night cycle.
The Core could modify the plants it was creating to survive off Mana. Still, until the Core could increase the Mana density of its Dungeon to the point the plants wouldn''t interfere with its mana attraction, it felt it would just be easier to feed the plants with the light emitted from the fake sky.
The cycle was set to 24 hours, with 12 hours for the day and night with a realistic sun, moon, sky, and stars.
And with the sky complete, the Core started pumping mana into the grass, greatly increasing the rate of growth, and within a few hours, the entire surface was covered in grass.
From there, the Core planted the seeds of trees and other foliage and designed a few plants that would produce fruit, wild vegetables, and other edible foods for herbivores and carnivores alike.
And it seems the Screen had some things to say about the Core''s creations.
/=====+=====\
Item Name: Dungeon Grass
Item Type: Plant (Grass)
Grade: Common
Description: A Common plant found in many Dungeons.
\=====+=====/
/=====+=====\
Item Name: Dungeon Oak Tree
Item Type: Plant
Grade: Common
Description: A Common plant found in many dungeons, noted to be slightly tougher than regular oak and much longer lasting, making the wood from this tree great for construction.
\=====+=====/
/=====+=====\
Item Name: Strange Dungeon Berry Bush
Item Type: Plant
Grade: Rare
Description: A seemingly regular bush that grows berries of various sizes, colors, tastes, and qualities.
\=====+=====/
These screens continued to appear as the Core created more and more flora to the Dungeon, and soon, the Core will start adding some fauna into the mix.
38 – Rising Odds
Each day, the monsters gained strength, becoming more fearsome to face. Still, with the rise in aggression with the monsters, all non-pack monsters fought each other for dominance, rising in strength but far fewer in number. At the same time, the Pack Monsters grew even stronger through their teamwork, but the Humans also rose to the challenge, as more than seven individuals had reached the second stage.
However, four of those Humans belonged to the Dark Faction, as they constantly fought to protect themselves against the monsters that surrounded them. The Hunter, the leader of their pack, had chosen the rare Hunter evolution [Primal Hunter], a class specializing in survival in the wilderness and taming monsters, significantly contributing to the group''s continued survival. However, the class had its weaknesses. For one, the amount of monsters that he could have under his command was limited on his level, as right now, he could only have a single monster. Despite that, he searched for a strong monster and ended up taming a Frost-tip Hawk, though at a great price, as one of the humans died in pursuit of the bird.
However, the Hawk proved to be quite the ally due to its size, speed, and skills. At will, the Hawk could throw a ''Gale,'' a wind attack launched from its claws, causing a whirlwind in the air that cuts apart any enemy it strikes into. Its second ability causes Frostbite to any it cuts with its talons, while its third and final ability allows it to launch its feathers as if they were quills. After becoming imbued with the Hawk''s mana, only these feathers become as sharp and hard as iron, allowing them to pierce deeply into flesh and fur.
Due to the bird, the Humans faced little trouble from the land monsters, as the Frost-tip Hawk could quickly kill them from afar and up in the air. However, it was far from the only aerial threat. There was the wandering Frost Elemental, more powerful Frost Hawks, and, of course, the various ''strong'' monsters around the Biome, such as the Bone Bear, the Snow Owl, and the Beast Lord.
The Bone Bear was notorious for the bone-like armor that adorned its fur and the sheer strength and endurance the bear had, in fact, due to its unusual evolution, with it being among the monsters to reach the second stage, the bones that adorned its fur acted as natural armor, even having the durability of iron, making it a formidable opponent to fight, not including its unusually large size and sharp claws allowing it to take on the weaker packs of monsters that roamed the Arctic biome.
Some humans from ARK fled in hopes of joining the Dark Faction, but without knowing where the Dark Faction''s encampment was, they simply marched to their deaths, feeding me their souls and mana.
I noticed something about the deaths of the humans in my dungeon. I figured I would only get their mana, but that was not the case. I obtained their essence as well, their souls. I knew this, of course. However, I didn''t know that these souls would meld with my core, refining it further. With each soul that melded with my core, my mana capacity and regeneration increased by very slight amounts, as in the single digits in units, with the quality of the soul being determined by what ''stage'' the human was at.
It fueled my desire to inspire conflict within my dungeon and establish a permanent inhabitation of these humans, as a farmer would for cattle. However, if I wanted to make the farm more proficient, I would need to set up more fields for more crops and spread the crops out so that one plot doesn''t end with all of the others being destroyed along with it.
This plot before me was the first; I would need to experiment to ensure the others to come are strong and healthy. This first experiment involved releasing locusts upon the plot and seeing how the crops would handle the pressure. Already, some humans have proved to take the challenge and thrive in conflict, while other humans unsuited for the environment have perished, leaving the stronger humans to struggle more and grow further. It was an endless cycle.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Unfortunately, humans had a slow maturation cycle; some of the female humans in ARK were already pregnant, but it would take around six months before a human baby is born and another eighteen years till the human reaches a maturity that most humans consider to be an ''adult.'' The humans could not produce fast enough to replace the lost humans, meaning I''d need to either integrate more humans into my Dungeon to replace the losses or find some way to speed up the process of birth and maturation.
However, the first option was not viable at this time as I had closed the connection between my Dungeon and the IKEA. A few of the humans managed to flee back into the IKEA, where they thought they''d be safe. If the humans thought they had a sure way to escape, they wouldn''t fight and struggle as hard as I desired.
With the gateway closed, Humans lost their easy source of metal, food, water, and medicine. In exchange, I increased the yield of medicinal plants within the biomes and water, leaving humans to fight for their food and search for what little metal I scattered across the Dome.
Unfortunately for the humans, they had only a few more days to cull the horde, and they were failing at this task.
...
Meanwhile, in the IKEA, five surprisingly organized and extensively equipped teams were wandering around. Each group was outfitted with military-grade armor, weapons, and communications.
These groups had enough supplies and camping tools to be on the move constantly, mapping out the IKEA and exploring its innards. The Foundation on Earth received the logs they made, and what they heard was concerning.
Log 1 (Day 3, Team Alpha) - Three days have passed since arrival; in that time, we have come across four different settlements within fifteen miles of one another. According to the inhabitants and our findings, most settlements are somewhat close to one another in case of emergencies in which the Settlement may fall from a siege by the ''Staff.'' In exchange for some of our rations, we managed to trade for information regarding all known settlements within the area as well as information regarding any abnormalities they may have come across. According to the settlers, they believe they are all from different ''Earths'' as they all remember different historical events; one of the settlers even believed that the Foundation was a formalized government in charge of the entire world.
The settlers also informed us of an increasing Staff presence around the area a few miles out, which was apparently drawing the Staff away from the settlements, significantly reducing attacks on the local settlements. Tomorrow, we plan on scouting the general area where the Staff are congregating. Captain Gorbov out.
Log 2 (Day 4, Team Alpha) - Fuck! Both Tom and Jerry are dead. A few hours ago, when we set out to search for the anomaly, we came across an unusual and strange scene of giant mounds of flesh pouring into the IKEA. Actively repelling and fighting these mountains of flesh was an unending horde of Staff and the two strange machine-like creatures we were briefed on before entry into the IKEA. It was a slaughter. The mounds of flesh easily took out the staff, but just as unending as the flesh was, so was the Staff. The most notable combatants were the Machines, who tore apart the creatures with glowing blades around their front limbs and tails, which easily stabbed deep into the mounds of flesh. Yet, despite the machines'' evident damage to the mounds of flesh, the flesh kept screaming and thrashing. That''s when we saw it. These mounds of flesh were melted together into forms of humans, dogs, cats, birds, everything.
Then...then one of those things grabbed ahold of Tom with a long meaty appendage, and before we could react, it dragged him into its folds, where we were forced to witness Tom meld with the creature; his screams still haunt me. Jerry got draged not long after, we were forced to flee. Get us the hell out of here!