After finding his test subject, he used his abilities as a dungeon lord to begin modifying it. The attribute ‘Host Dependency’ was a helpful attribute to have, it was essentially a tool to create a template for hosts of this fungus. Using this template, he started to modify and change the rat’s biology.

The most important part was to create a pouch or gland to store and secrete the fungus spores. However, before he did that he needed to figure out the digestive system of this thing. The rat and the rot need to have a dependent and mutually symbiotic relationship. So, the rat will need to not get infected while eating them.

The fungus was already resistant to stomach acid, but the rat will need the right enzymes and mutations to not get infected. Using the template, he wired up the digestive system so that neither side can hurt each other. The flaws he created with the fungus prevented it from lasting long outside of a body, but he took extra care to not make the rat’s poop infected.

After passing through the stomach, the best place for fungus to coexist was in the small intestines. Enzymes and the immune system will manipulate the fungus, causing a controlled infection. This controlled infection will cause spores to be put into the bloodstream, but for them to be deactivated. Then an organ at the mouth will filter and collect these spores.

Deeper into the small intestines, the parts of the fungus that have magical properties were then absorbed. Hmm, this would work better if the stomach had enzymes to liquefy and deactivate the fungus. Around the small intestines, fat-like cells can store the cells of the fungus. Instead of being omnivores, it would probably be better to use this fungus as a source of digestion - meaning that the rats can’t digest anything but the fungus, but they can make anything digestible for the fungus that they stored.

Finally, he made it so that the environment in the rats wasn’t perfect for the fungus. If fresh fungus wasn’t eaten, then the fungus stored in the rat for both spores and nutrition will die. This can be caused by the immune system’s safeguards, and this will also help with evolution. Finally, the rest of the rat was changed to make the most of the fungus’s magical properties.

Creation of Custom Dungeon Organism Cost - 49 Soul Points

It cost too much, so he saved the changes as a template and only implemented the most basic and essential changes. That dropped the price down to 27 soul points, and he became completely broke again. He didn’t name the new rat species yet because it was incomplete.

The light show appeared and went, and the rat didn’t seem to have changed at all. Internally though, it had become a completely different creature. Despite its injuries, he forced it to move towards the blood rot fungus and ate the contaminated bit of meat.

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At this point, two piles of food were separated. The blood rot on the bit of meat was low quality, making it so that it wouldn’t mend the rat. He used the rat to then infect the smaller pile of meat to get a decent supply of his new fungus.

In order to make the fungus dependent on the rats, he made it so that they couldn’t spread spores by air and made the spores fragile. That way, just being in a spot that once was infected with it wouldn’t spread the infection. No one wanted to be in a cave that carried a dangerous, airborne fungal disease, no matter the rewards or treasures.

With that, the first link of his food chain was made, though he had no idea how something could hunt these rats. He needed to keep the rest of his rats to use for other species. The few soul points he had left were used to heal injuries to keep his last species alive.

Now what? Alex hated the long hours of just idle misery. He wanted to do something productive. There were no phones for idle scrolling, so he was forced to be by himself for long hours. He begged for something to attack his dungeon.

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Hasil and the rest of the elders came to the dungeon. There were records of monsters from deeper within the forest attacking it. A tree goliath was spotted. It was dangerous for them to come, but they really needed to just see the cave.

Nothing ever came out of the cave. The tree goliath disappeared in there, then a threatening message was portrayed from a rat. All of them were struggling to sleep, but they hoped that seeing the cave and dungeon untouched would calm them down.

Nothing ever came out of the dungeon, except the many of the people that investigated it. Whatever threat festered within the unseen depths of the dungeon, it has never escaped.

Hasil looked at the cave, and despite the way the strange place tweaked with his emotions and mind, he felt calm.

That calm didn’t last long.

There was a sudden silence that descended on everyone as the air around them became heavy. At first, Hasil thought he had magically entered the dungeon, but he slowly began to remember. Deep with these forests were many magical beasts. Hasil didn’t understand magic, or the “mana” that wizards talk about. He did, however, know the feeling.

A monster appeared, one that all of them feared. The skin of the monster was pale and thin, it draped over its bones and frame like adult clothes over a child. Covering every bit of skin were eyes, all flickering and scanning, blinking and staring. The hundred-eyed giant, the wrinkled argos, passed them by without caring and approached the dungeon.

All of them ran for their lives. These monsters weren’t particularly strong, fast, or durable - but they were smart and perceptive. No traps have gotten them, in fact most that have tried to trap them were manipulated and attacked. Their plans were twisted against them, only their legendary hunters have ever succeeded.

An unsettling idea bloomed in his mind. Maybe things can’t leave the dungeon, but the dungeon is attracting monsters to them. Maybe that was the message of the threat?

Hasil prayed that help from Millpond or Adal came quickly.