[Never mind what I said! Those are things we keep between us . Special secrets that we never utter out loud . ]
[But we aren't talking out loud?]
[Besides the point! No, let's focus on the other important reasons we're here . ]
Crinis raises one of her thin tendrils to scratch herself on the top of her sphere .
[Well . We're here so you can absorb mana and survive long term…]
[Mission accomplished on that front . My core is ticking along great down here . ]
[Wonderful!] Crinis considers again for a moment . [We also came to get experience and Biomass for Tiny and myself . ]
[Right . Since we don't get much experience up above, or Biomass, we should find more challenging, highly evolved monsters down here . ]
[And we want to scout out the strata for the colony, since the Queen will need to come down here eventually . ]
[She will, and soon . ]
[And you wanted to try and find traces of others like you . ]
[Correct! More like myself and Garralosh . According to the Sophos, there are a few of us down there in the depths . I'd love to hear what they've been up to, so long as they managed to hold onto a little sanity . ]
I think for a moment .
[Does it bother you that I was from another world and resurrected here as a monster, Crinis?]
[No? Why would it?]
[Uh . I have no idea . Perhaps you would think I wasn't a proper monster since I used to be a human?]
[Pfft . Master? Not a proper monster? Surely you're joking with me!]
Eh?
[What do you mean?]
[Come now, Master . I don't think you'll find another monster that's as strong…]
Well I mean, that's true .
[… or as wise…]
I am known far and wide for my great wisdom, it's true!
[… or as savage…]
Natura- … wait, what now?
[… as cruel and relentless…]
Hold on, really?!
[… merciless and ambitious as my Master!]
[That's really how you think of me?]
[Of course!]
Ouch . That's some serious psychological damage you're inflicting there Crinis . You don't even realise it, either . Actually, somehow that makes it worse . Am I really that nasty? I mean, I've done some stuff, but cruel? Savage?! I'm not confident that Crinis' views can be trusted on this one . She has a strange slant sometimes . In my mind I'm a perfectly lovable ant monster .
We finish munching on the Biomass of the defeated Shadow Beasts and I'm interested when a notification pings from the System .
[Master profile of the Dark Ghoul unlocked . ]
Oh? I've not checked in on my unlocked profiles for a long time, but Formo did say that the master profile was a way of peering into the mind of the Dungeon itself . Which he seemed to think was important . There's no harm in it, so I may as well take a look .
Idly munching I bring up the full profile for the . . Dark Ghoul .
Master Profile:
[Tenebris Pallidi: Dark Ghoul, A Shadow Affinity monster with powerful claws and tricky movement . Beware the Shadows . ]
Might: 56
Toughness: 33
Cunning: 15
Will: 18
Current Evaluation:
The Dark Ghoul is an iterated version of early base design Shadow Creatures . Despite the age and relatively crude design, the Pallidi has proven to be an enduring monster archetype, the Shadow variant particularly so . Perturbations were introduced to the evolutionary tree of the creature this cycle to attempt to find a better pathway to carry forward, as higher tier versions haven't lived up to the base monster's efficiency .
Interesting . So it seems these Dark Ghouls have been around for a long time, since the Dungeon finds them to be successful monsters, but the evolved versions are underwhelming? I've yet to see much of the evolved versions of this monster . No doubt I'll run into plenty down here . Not that I want to do too much fighting just yet . I think it'll be better if Tiny and I can acclimate to the conditions in this strata a bit before we go too crazy .
To that end, I decide it may be best if we leave this main passageway and explore a few side tunnels . We're less likely to run into any big bads, or stumble into an expanse if we stick to the smaller passages . If we use the body analogy, these big tunnels are the main arteries that connect the organs, or expanses, together . The smaller tunnels are like capillaries, the little veins that are useful for hiding and settling smaller monsters in . Sadly, I no longer fit in all of these but there are some that are larger than the others and I can get around alright . Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www . webnovel . com for visiting .
I direct the team to the left wall, dodging around some more weird corals and I stop when I feel something wrap around my leg . Not feeling too threatened I look down and notice the waving fronds another small plant like thing . It almost appears like seaweed . Long and wide leaves that float through the air as if we were underwater . I didn't notice them since this specimen seems quite small, less than a metre tall, just enough to wrap up the tip of one of my legs .
I pull my leg free with ease but when I do, a sharp stab of cold pierces into me . Ouch! What the heck was that?! Bringing my eyes closer for a better look, I spy small needle points line the edges of the fronds . It appears this stupid plant stabbed me! If only my legs were as tough as the rest of me…
I will have vengeance . Without mercy I turn and unleash a blast of acid at the offending seaweed and watch with satisfaction as it bubbles away to nothing . Still, checking my HP I notice that I've only taken a single point of damage from that strike, but the cold feeling remains, as if ice were injected in my veins . Poison is a strong possibility here .
[Crinis?]
[Yes, Master?]
[Could you cut the end of my leg off?]
[!?]
[Please?]
Protesting, but not as strongly as I'd expected she would, Crinis wraps the stinging leg in one tentacle and her barbs do the rest . Thankfully I can regenerate half a leg in no time flat . Ten minutes later and we are back on the move, wary of poison plant things .
Within another ten minutes we locate a side tunnel with enough headroom to accommodate Tiny and myself, so we plunge forth . The narrower space gives a sense of comfort in this lightless environment and I feel a little more secure, less worried about creatures springing from nowhere .
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