*Dong* "In memory of our fallen, our comrades, and our friend."

*Dong* "In memory of our children, our future, and our family."

*Dong* "In memory of the 5 fallen. In memory of the 25 killed."

*Dong* "We will mourn for them. We will remember them. Forever."

*Dong* "We will carry on their legacy. So may they rest in peace, knowing that we will continue on."

"So now, we shall reap what we have sown. We will enjoy this bountiful harvest! The gifts that our dead have left behind, we will use them well."

And so, I finished my burial for my larvae who pershed in battle. The new-born were dissovled so much by the acid that none of them remained. Instead, I used a half melted leaf to represent them, a young shoot yet to see the world, denied the oppurtunity to grow. The dead militarvae were put together, arranged neatly in rows as if they were going to fight one last battle. One of them was split cleanly in half, at least it did not suffer a painful death. The larvacks then proceeded to spew stone-glue over them, sealing them in stone. Nothing will disturb their slumber now. To top it off, I bought a seed from the catalogue and laid it on the peak of the mound. It will serve as a gravestone, and a representation of their contribution to allow us to continue on living. 

Then, we began to harvest our rewards. The first, most visible one, was of course the enemy's core. I had no idea what it did, but my instincts told me it was of tremendous value. From what I read from the novels in my past life, the core of a dungeon was usually a powerful source of energy, able to store and release massive amounts of energy. It was also a potent evolution tool, if I remember correctly. 

The next were the corpses of the ants. As per the same reasoning, the corpses of monsters were valuable as a resource. Alchemy, magic crafting were just a few examples. So many things I could do, so little time to do it. The ant corpses will begin to rot soon, I'll have to make good use of them while I can.

Then, there was the level ups of my monsters, Thay had fought their hearts out and now recieved the equivalant rewards for their effort. They had acquired new skills and all of them had achieved MAX levels, awaiting for the conditions for evolution to be met. I had sent them to collect and gather all the ant corpses, while thinking about what to do in the meantime. I could focus more on my larva's evolution, but the plants interest me more. 

It has been nagging me ever since I recieved the [Monster Creature] notification. I was fully capable of turning my plants into a potent force. In my past life, some of the greatest dangers of traversing in unknown vegetation is not the creatures that inhabit it but the greenery itself. Plants have proven time and again of their adaptibility, highly responsive to the environment and some developing freaky defenses to boot. This avenue has sooo many options, I wanna explore them all. 

Of course, it doesn't mean that I will leave my adorable larvae alone. I had full intention of making them the stronger and better. My new Queen awaits, my Teams at the ready. They were bursting at the seams, full of potential, ready to evolve. They just needed a tiiiiny push, one that I will be happy to provide. I will master my manipulation arts and give them the best evolution ever. That time will be the time they graduate from being juveniles and into adult larvae. 

Not to forget, I had rewards to claim myself from winning the Dungeon Battle. Scores upon scores of unread notifications blinked at the corner of my view, constantly reminding me of the things I still have yet to acquire. Now you see why I am the greatest dungeon master of all? Tremble in my presence, puny mortals! Muahahahahaha! Now, I command you to obey me! Show me my glorious loot!

Enemy Dungeon Core destroyed. Dungeon Battle has ended! 

Dungeon Battle Loot: The loot claimed by the victor of the Dungeon Battle. Said loot includes the DP and Animus of enemy dungeon, grants acces to limited items in the Catalogue (items are correlated to enemy dungeon), core of the enemy dungeon, all of the enemy dungeon's creatures and other relavant items. 

Achievement Get!

[Victor]: Win your first Dungeon Battle. No rewards. 

You have acquired [5 Dungeon Core Fragments] and [25 Odd Gems]. Inventory tab in dungeon status now availible. 

You have taken over: 0 ants, 0 Soldier Ants, 0 Royal Ants, 0 Acid Ants, 0 Queen Ants, 0 ant larvae, 0 ant eggs

Dungeon Inventory: A strange space inside the Dungeon Core that has been magially enlarged. The dungeon is able to deposit and withdraw items to and from the inventory with ease. Inventory has a limited capacity which can be upgraded [means are concealed]. Living things that do not belong to the dungeon cannot be stored, while living things belonglonging to the dungeon can be stored in a separate space. This space, too, has a limited capacity. The time experienced by items are slowed down, meaning objects that spoil easily will spoil slower. This is, however, not equal to not spoiling at all. The time slow-down ability can also be upgraded.

Enemy dungeon's inventory has been transfered. You have acquired [2000 DP] and [100 Animus]. You have acquired [Ant's Tome of Knowledge]. 

For your first victory against an older dungeon, you have been credited [1000 DP] and [100 Animus]. You have been credited [1 Evolution Seeds]. Your Dungeon Experience has increased. You are now able to influence a larger area. 

For your cruel yet effective manipulation of mana and your domain against the enemy dungeon, you have advanced in the path to discover the secrets of the respective areas. [Mana Manipulation]:{3/10}, [Domain Manipulation]:{3/5}. 

You have aquired a new skill!

[Primitive Mind Blast]: A strong blast of mana that attacks not the body but the mind. With careful mana manipulation, this skill has an infinite number of uses albeit cruel. This skill may not be activated consiously. The skill may only be activated by specific conditions. The skill will only target those who trigger the skill. 

[Ant's Tome of Knowledge]: You have acquired a map of the area. You now have more in-depth knowledge on ants and their community. You now have more knowledge on acid using monsters. You now have new knowledge on battle stratergies. 

You have acquired the full domain of the enemy dungeon. You may now use it as you wish. 

Wow.............That is.... a lot of loot. I must say..... that is a lot of loot. Only the best for the best, yeah? Yahooooo! Here comes the money~! *Ahem*, let's get straight down to business. First up, I have to evolve my dear larvae. My cute and adorable critter are about to grow up. This must be how a parent feels when they send their child to school for the first time, isn't it? It feels so fulfilling. Line up, ya'll. Today is our evolution day!

First up! Our greatest contributor of all. Team Clipeum, who stayed as our strong and sturdy shield to the end. I shall make you the strongest army ever, may you all ever continue to protect our home. 

Next! It is only for them that Team Clipeum could succeed, who delayed the enemy, who ripped the enemy apart. Team Equites! I shall grant you, hardy stomachy larvack, 1 Evolution Seed. Fret not, you two, I will not let you fall behind. 

I would never forget you five would I? I'm really sorry but I do not have enough Evolution Seeds to go around, but I swear in the name of pepperoni pizza that I will make you powerful. Top it off with a hawaiin! Mark my words, you will not be the same after I'm done with you, in a good way of course. 

Team Sicarius, well done out there! Taking down the Ant Queen all by yourself, you have outdone my expectations! Here you go, 1 Evolution Seed. 

Now we have you two. My dear Queen. Use this last Evolution Seed well. Thank you so much for your contributions to this dungeon and may you ever continue to do so. The other, please aid your Queen, for she will need help. 

Now, my friends, let's huddle up! We've got some evolving to do!

----(3rd Person POV)----

The dungeon master concentrated. He concentrated, focused, and reached out. ... ... And grasped nothing. He tried again... Nothing. He tried again... Nothing. But that did not deter him. He was determined to make his dreams come true, and in the name of super supreme he will not give up until his ideals where achieved. He tried once again, and this time, he felt something. It was elusive, feeble, weak. Yet it was pulsating, it was flowing, it was moving. It throbbed with raw energy, unrefined, with so much potential, yet it also felt weak, unfulfilling. The dungeon master frowned. He felt that the mana was too diluted. He wanted it to be stronger, denser, better. He reached out once again, and this time, he tried to pull. 

Yanking hard, he tugged at the string of mana that he felt. Then he pretty much fell flat onto his bum, or the equivalant for a dungeon master. The mana flowing in the air was surprisingly resistant to forceful changes. After trying and failing a couple times, he adapted a solid stratergy. Softly guide the mana, not to force, but suggest, the direction to travel. As the mana drew closer to his core, he whispered to the mana softly, to curl around his core. Aiding the mana by having a weak pull from the core (switch on mana absorbtion), the mana swirled around his core. In trace amounts, but there none the less. Slowly, with tremendous patience and a very steady hand, he started gathering the mana. Pull it from the atmosphere, guide it to his core and allow it to orbit his core. After an adequete period of time, sufficient mana was present that its presence was beginning to be noticed. The larvacks and managots, who are experienced in mana, squealed in delight. They knew what their creator was doing, and they were very excited for what's to come. 

The dungeon master sifted through the mana orbiting his core(he had stopped collecting). He could feel the differences of the mana from the pure mana he desired. Though the impurities where in no way junk, he desired for pure mana only and nothing else. The mana spoke to him, images of the earth, the ground, the diamond hard stone. Of the ages the earth has endured, the eons of pressure and heat. It was earth mana. The mana spoke to him again, a burning sensation, an image of a flame, an image of violence. Of the thunder and explosions, of searing white hot plasma. Violent, yet so short lived. Living the brightest they can, making the biggest impact they can. It was fire mana. Repeating this process over and over again, the dungeon master sifted through the mana before he found it.

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The oldest, the ageless. The first, the original. It was pure mana, and concentrated was a vibrant royal blue, glowing, shifting. It circled the slowest around the dungeon master's core, as if it was tired from a long journey and was seeking a place to rest. And a place to rest the dungeon master shall give. He guided the mana away from the core, swirled it, spun it. Like a weaver, the mana spun and rotated faster and faster, gathering, condensing. The mana then took shape, a glowing blue sphere, hovering and spinning rapidly closely to the core. It was almost humming. The dungeon master requested for one of the militarvae to head forward, presented the mana to the larva, then disperesed it. 

The mana immediately sought to escape, but the dungeon master guided it back. At a distance, one could see a larva surrounded by tendrils of blue, looping and turning before diving back into the larva's body. Slowly, the larva began to change. For the first time in the dungeon, a monster had molted. Seemingly insignificant, a molting was actually a crucial part of an insect's life. It gave it more room to grow, it made it stronger, and it is when traits truely start to show. Almost all larva hatched from the dungeon purchased eggs will hatch exactly the same. However, as their environment changes, they adapt and change. There is just one crucial point missing in the picture. They are all the same. No matter if the larva was a meat eating monster or a harmless grazer, they were in the end still hatchlings, jouveniles. The molting allowed them to express who they were, allowed their genes, still dormant in their body, to truly awaken. Molting is the first step of Genome Expression, where the larva will truly determine where it will head, where it will evolve, and a differentiate themsleves from the rest. This is the reason why the larva are such unqiue monsters. 

Repeating this process slowly over and over again during the week, the dungeon master had succesfully allowed all except those who possesed the seeds of evolution to evolve. The militarvae where now fearsome. With a clearly formed layered exoskeleton that allowed for maximum protection withou hindering movement. Their jaws were now larger, with longer and serrated teeth, and between the supposed kinks in their armour jutted out barbed thorns. The larvacks have evolved to be shorter, stouter. Their jaws where small, but capable of expanding to the size of their head. Their mouth lining capable of releasing fluids in small amouts that can dissolve stone. Their stomach was stronger, no longer needing mana to strenghthen it. They could now sense for mana farther, for higher densities of mana. In return, they had their eyesight deprove. Exhanging their eyesight at the cost of mana sensing may seem unfair at first, but in a dungeon with little to no light, there was no need for eyes in the first place. Their former beady eyes now just a dot, they had immediately began tunneling and expanding the dungeon, as well as search for mana. The largots were now far larger than before, a hulking behemoth compared to the rest. Nearly doubling in size, these slow and gentle giants calmy feed off the plants in the dungeon. Their jaws were very unique. Instead of teeth, they had multiple mandible like protrusions lining the circular mouth, branching off into two sections at the tip. These jointed "tooth" segments were capable of grabbing and plucking leaves off the plant, gently snipping off the desired leaves. Similar to tentacles, they moves with much dexterity, each individually moving on its own, some searching, some cutting, some taking. 

The non-queen managot had evolved into something special. During the battle, it had absorbed some of the residual animus released. Thus, its evolution had taken a totally different turn. It had evolved with only the queen in mind, forgoing some of of its beneficial capabilities in return for others that can aid the Queen. It was a Consort. Its mouth had no teeth, designed instead for suction. It would use this suction to transfer the eggs delivered by the Queen safely. It had many little hairs all over its body, sensing vibrations in the air. It was always on guard, ready to alert its allies when a potential hostile entity was near. It also served to enhance its touch, allowing it to quite accurately feel which egg was ready to hatch. It helped purify the mana surrounding the Queen, allowing her to live in a luxurious environment where she could live with minimal effort, losing her ability to synthesise mana in the process. In return, she always had the first meal whenever the larvacks brought in the lesser impure mana crystals, which now served as its main source of mana. It was just a way the Queen showed gratitude to its service. 

The dungeon master was ecstatic. The evolutions he had help fuel with pure mana had shown great results. Unable to wait any longer, he began making preparations for the others to evolve. Firstly, he thought. What type of mana to use. Using pure mana had yielded great results, but in the end the evolutions were still pure evolutions without any variations. Those who hold the Evolution Seed are not normal, but in fact somewhat more similar to a variant. Meaning, using pure mana would only serve to defeit the purpose. A long and hard thought process went on, with a lot of imaginary coffee and cookie (the latte and double chocolate were the best, said the dungeon master), and he finally came to a conclusion.

For his Queen, it had to be life mana. No questions asked there. For his parasite, it was a difficult choice. If he used dark mana, he may be able to create a skilled assasin, assisting from the shadows. But that was not what a parasite fundamentally was. A parasite is a creature that takes from its host without giving any in return. It may or may not remain undetected, leeching off its host, eventually causing the host to suffer, and possibly die. A parasite was never meant to hide, it was meant to take, to steal. Yes, dark mana could do all that, but the other could do much, much more. The dungeon master had decided to attempt to utilize death mana, one that was in the tracest of quantities. Most probably the only reason for its presence was the horrific deaths during the Dungeon Battle. A parasite can hide, like the shadow of death, and strike. By then, it would be too late, for death already had you in his grasps, or so the dungeon master thought. Lastly, for the larvack, the dungeon master had decided, naturally, on water mana. From the words of the dungeon master:

"Surprised? I bet! They may think 'oh my god water mana is so useless, you should use earth mana it will make it dig stone better'(A.N.: please use a sing-song voice for this), let me tell you. Water is better. What happens to water exposed to stone for a millenia? Nothing. What happens to the stone? It breaks, it gets eroded, it shatters. Water triumphs stone, no matter how much you ask. Back in my previous life, there was a famous martial artist who drew inspiration for Tai Chi from water dripping through stone. Back in my past life, water was used to cleanly cut through steel, titanium. Water is far too powerful for mere plebs to understand. Only I, the mighties, the great-" 

And thus, he once again gathered and filtered the mana, except this time into its different attributes. Life struggles against his control, ever yearning to escape, giving the dungeon master a severe migraine in the process. The water mana was peaceful, a little too peaceful perhaps. It proved to be the hardest mana to gather, but once it was separated it was relatively easy to control as long as there was no major change in direction needed. Death, on the other had, scared the living dungeon out of the dungeon master. Everytime he came into contact with the mana, he was bombarded with scenes and memories of carnage and death. It would stay deathly calm, then suddenly shoot out into multiple tendrils in completely random directions. By far the hardest to control and manipulate, and also the hardest to come by. The dungeon master was thankful that he would not need to use this again. Hopefully. 

Pouring the respective mana into each of the Evolution Seeds, the seeds rattled, shook, and started to change in appearance. The life seed was shaped like an egg, smooth, round and a vibrant green. The water seed leaked, well, water. In very small quantities of course, but no doubt leaking water, creating a watery sheen on the surface of the seed. The death seed was dead. In every sense of the word. It was abnormally bloated, leaked out a foul smelling and viscous fluid, a sickly black with barbs adorning the surface. Not something one might want for breakfast. Nevertheless, once the seeds have fully absorbed all the mana, the monsters tucked in. 

The first visible change was in the larvack. Although its physical appearance was no doubt identical to its cousins, it had clear streaks of turquoise across its body. From its head to its tail, the dark stripes glowed, then dimmed, then glowed again. The streaks were actually absorbing mana, though not to be synthesised but rather to allow the larvack to use the skill that had caused the demise of the 25 Queenborn larvae. It could now produce acid. The dungeon master did not hate it, rather, he welcomed it. An acid spitting larva would provide huge amounts of utility to the dungeon, and no way the dungeon master could let a potential like that go to waste. While unable to do so yet, the dungeon master believed that under spartan training there may be hopes for his delusions yet.

The next to change was the Queen. She grew larger, longer, not so much but definitely so. Her body pulsating with energy, she knew. Her eggs would be born healthy, resilient to disease. They would hatch to be strong and capable larvae who would contribute back to the dungeon. However, she was met with a problem. While never attempting to do so after the battle, she now could no longer produce eggs. She was devastated, and began weeping in earnest, leaning ont oher consort for support. The dungeon master comforted her, and claimed that there is a justifyable reason for the situation, one that he will crack no matter the cost (no deaths or any form of harm will be brought upon the dungeon inhabitants). 

Lastly, the parasite. After draining of whatever infernal fluids where present in the seed, swallowed the seed whole. Even the dungeon master shuddered as he saw the barbed seed travel down the gullet of the larva. However, its effects were instantaneous. The larva shrinked, becoming smaller; it had very weak eyes, relying solely on its other senses alone. On the surface, it seems like a normal runty larva, but the dungeon master knows the secrets that lie beneath the colour changing skin. Yes, skin, for it almost had no exoskeletion. Whatever twisted devices the parasite had at its disposal, no one knew. Not even the parasite himself. He dared not try it on any of its kin, thus deciding that it would wait till the oppurtune moment. 

Satisfied, the dungeon master laid back (or the equivalant) and stretched his arms. It had been a very long week and he was tired. But he was nowhere near complete with his plan. The plants.

The pile of ants, dead plants and feces that were thrown into a corner and covered with stone had turned into a deep, rich, black and crumbly material. Yes, it was compost. Immediately, the dungeon master got the larvack to crush down stone into tiny pebbles and a bit of coarse stone powder. Mixing it evenly with the help of his larvae, he managed to create some crude form of soil. With the majority of the ant corpses still in his inventory, there were plenty of (dead) ants to spare. Redoing the process, he once again created a compost heap and allowed it to do its thing. I another 3 months, a new batch of compost will be ready again. With the help the the largots' dextrous mouth-tentacle things, they slowly peeled the roots off the rock and set it gently into the soil. A thin layer was all they needed, but the soil was in limited supply. Some plants will just have to wait. As a little added boost, the dungeon master gathered a ball of pure mana and allowed it to flow into the soil. Once again, a beautiful lightshow was created and bright tendrils of mana curled and looped in the air, before eventually all ending up the soil.

The moment the roots of the plants came into contact with the soil, nothing happened. It was normal, plants do not respond so fast anyways. Added to an unsure environment, they were bound to be hesitant. But, the moment the dungeon master had redirected the flow of water (courtesy of the larvacks) into the soil, the mana flowed from the soil into the water. Then into the roots of the plants. 

Then, the magic happened. Mana coursed through the xylem of the plants, through the stems and into the leaves, where it was synthesised into energy fairly easily. That was not the amazing part. It was because of the mana that flowed through the roots that it accelerated a procedure that would take weeks, even months. The roots, empowered by the mana, grew rapidly and started madly absorbing whatever it could. Nitrogen compounds, potassium, phosphorous, water, mana, everything. The roots spread far and wide, firmly anchoring the plants into the soil. The roots of the many plants intertwined, creating a messy network of roots that would leave even the most professional of wire untanglers in a ragin fit. This carpet of roots secured the soil. It held it in place. It became part of the dugeon, the floor of the dungeon. Sensing the sudden release of energy, the other plants closer also blew their stores and accelerated the growth of their roots. Soon, the once loose soil that was simply a mixture of primitive compost and stone became earth, part of the ground, part of the dungeon. The plants, fuelled by the sudden influx of nutrients, aided by the mana, grew. 

New leaves sprouted, the stems hardended, the plants shot up to almost triple their original height (which isn't saying much, they were floor huggers prior). These newly developed plants, standing proud and tall, twisting and turning in the most magical of fashion, like watching the giant beanstalk grow in slow motion. Then, it appeared. At first, to the entire dungeon, it looked like an oddly shaped leaf. However, as that plant continued its growth spurt, it had grown larger, rounder. It looked like many leaves glued together in the most artistic way possible, help on a soft pedestal of short, fluffy leaves. 

The entire dungeon watched, enraptured, as the first flower bloomed.