I could not have been prouder of myself.

Not only did I manage to perfect a Saboteur variant that could teleport ahead of the brute in order to keep him going more effectively, but I also managed to do it while making significant progress with my Queen-grown humans.

Granted, the Saboteurs tended to die quite quickly and most of the humans I had grown couldn't survive on their own for more than an hour, but it was progress nonetheless.

I had been so content that I decided to give my first successful sample a proper name.

Instead of simply referring to her by the moniker of Sample 1, the bald woman would now be known as Progress.

As my form of respect for how long she had endured and how far she had come.

In just one day, she had managed to not only survive, but thrive.

Even as her Queen mother molded her brain into shapes and notions that would suit me, while blocking the worst of the pain.

Even as her arms and legs still twitched from the unending magical agony that so much concentrated magic brought.

Even as her chest contracted and collapsed with the constant formation of half-cores or cores that were too large of cores that formed with jagged spikes and shattered edges.

At first, I had thought the experiment to be a failure and prepared to move on.

But then, I had noticed how the new cores took a few seconds to form proper connections throughout her body and had decided to gamble with her life. After all, I had created her, so it was my right to do so.

I ordered her Queen mother to use [Transform] on her. Surgically removing the failed core without actually healing her and using her connected tissues to keep the Sample alive.

It had worked.

Over and over and over again.

While the Sample continued to form new cores with excess of pre-digested magic being pumped in.

Over and over and over again.

In the end, she had managed to form a proper, late-stage core on her 17th attempt.

One possessing magic wholly different from mine.

I was a bit miffed that I could not control or predict was kind of core she got, but I was thrilled regardless.

I reached out as soon as the process was done.

Using [Overmind] for the first time since I'd severed our connection. Filling in the gaps of her memory, wherever her Queen mother had faltered.

'Who are you?' I demanded.

'I am Progress.' She answered blankly.

'What is your purpose, Progress?'

'To serve you. My Master.' She replied.

With an inner voice devoid of emotion.

One that knew only obedience.

One that was the same as her mother.

'Excellent.' I cooed.

My own flesh quivering with excitement.

'Cling to your mother again, Progress.' I ordered. 'Feed your core with the meals she has stored. Until your core feels as though it is about to burst. Then move on to another one of my Queens in another Pool. My other units will protect and guide you along the way.'

Progress followed my instructions and re-merged with her mother.

I then set about creating other Samples. In order to streamline the process.

Sample 2 was a male, resembling the child. He lived for a few minutes, before expiring on the Dungeon floor.

Sample 3 was a male, resembling the brute. He lived for a few minutes, before expiring on the Dungeon floor.

Sample 4 was a male, resembling the bait I kept laying down for the brute.

The man called Wike or whatever.

I hadn't been paying attention to insignificant details.

He lived long enough to meld with his Queen mother, but faltered when forming a proper core. Taking far longer than Progress had. He lived through 29 attempts, until his body gave out.

Sample 5 was a male, with the same mold as Sample 4.

I re-created him in order to experiment with the entire process of core formation and failure. Figuring that I could re-arrange the Queen's connecting tendrils around his body in order to see what improved or what went awry.

He too lived long enough to meld back with the Queen in charge.

He too lived through many attempts before expiring.

While Sample 5 had outlived Sample 4 by a hour or so, his processes had still been a parade of failures.

Sample 6 was another copy of Sample 4, which I made with the intention of a different kind of experiment. One where I gave the Sample more time to roam about by himself, and where I gave the Queen mother more autonomy in shaping his tutelage. I left it to work in the background and moved on.

Sample 7 was a female, resembling another one of the copies I had left in front of the brute to slow him down.

Like Progress and all the other samples, she was bald and well-built by the standards of humans. Yet there was also an inherent weakness to her. An, anemia of sorts. The magic had been cut off too early and her bones had not formed as well as I would have liked. Same with organs like her kidneys and liver.

She managed to survive by herself without much issue, which was unexpected. Yet she also displayed a much higher degree of weakness than any of the other surviving Samples. Her mind devolving into pleas and her body freezing up like that of a lamb faced with a predator. She showed weakness. Much like Progress had before her.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

She, like the others, intrinsically knew me and her relation to me. She knew she was a unit. She knew I had designed her. She knew the Queen had birthed her. She knew what was in store.

Unlike the others, she did not readily accept such a fate.

Odd, since I was sure I had fixed those problems after tinkering with Progress. She should not have followed in her footsteps.

Perhaps she did so because she was aware of the weakness of her body and of her chances?

But that was foolish.

I had created her.

And so, her life and death were mine to decide.

If her purpose was to serve, then she would serve.

If her purpose was to die, then she would die.

And she would die content, because I was her creator and I had willed it.

And still, she wept and begged and tried to crawl away on unsteady hands and knees. Her pathetic form failing to even stand as a huma would due to a mixture of deformity and overwhelming terror.

"Please." She whispered to no one.

Her azure eyes obviously tracking the hundreds of units that were stationed all around her. From Venomlings to Sniperlings. From Riflelings to Shotgunlings. From Cannonlings to Siege Slimes. All coated in their new insectile carapace. Their mouths hanging open and drooling. Their many kinds of eyes staring right back without blinking.

I caught hold of one of those units. A Subverter. I spoke through it, since I did not want to taint the experiment by forming a connection through [Overmind].

"Why do you run?" I asked, through a voice that was sharp as a hundred daggers. Pushed through dozens upon dozens of dagger-like fangs.

"I'm scared." She babbled. Tears still running down her face. "I don't want to die. I want to go back to aunt Cheryl and uncle Uter. I want to go back to Eva. I want my parents back. I want to live. I don't want to die yet. Please. Please. Please."

Snot was now running down her face. Marring the pleasant features.

"You are a unit." I reminded her.

"You were created to serve. It is your purpose."

She kept weeping incoherently. Saying 'Please' over and over again, while her legs lost what little power they'd had.

It made for a pathetic display.

This...

Individualism...

It troubled me.

More so than with Progress.

There was a resistance now, that Progress did not match.

It was hard to describe.

Progress accepted her fate, to a degree.

But this one continued to defy me.

That was inconceivable.

After all, this unit was mine and so had been born with many of my own memories, as well as those belonging to the child. What would happen if she were to betray me?

Progress would die before giving anything away, of that I was sure.

But this one?

No.

I could not have it.

I would not suffer traitors.

Not among my brood.

So, I ordered my Queen to re-absorb her brain, while connecting with the rest of her as normal. I would have her mother fix her, while feeding the processed magic to her body.

It was a good thing I was merciful and didn't order her immediate disposal, because the process was one of my more promising successes.

Where Progress had obtained a core that I rated around the 6th Stage, Sample 7 had achieved a core as powerful as mine.

A full 7th Stage core.

I had no idea what it would do, but I couldn't wait to find out.

She had also been remade rather well. In the brain department.

She knew who she was and who I was now. As she hadn't before.

She knew that her purpose was to serve.

I ordered my Queen to [Heal] and [Transform] the rest of her deficiencies and named her Mercy.

Because it had been my mercy that had allowed her to live.

Sample 8 was also a female, as I had begun to notice a pattern whereby they tended to survive more often than the males. She was stout and strong and healthy in all manners, just as Progress had been.

Like Progress, she too knew where things stood.

Unlike Progress, she knew as soon as she was out of the Queen's womb.

Things went well and I confirmed that connections to the base of the spine, as well as to the stomach lining and lungs worked best when pumping magic. She managed to form an acceptable core after just 3 tries. She did fall a bit short of expectations though, obtaining a measly 4th-Stage core. Not bad, per se. But not what I was hoping for.

I named her Disappointment and moved on.

Sample 9 was female, following Sample 8's example. She too survived on her own and she too showed all the signs of promise. She too managed to form a core. Not on the first try, but it was close enough that it made no matter. However, she too failed to develop anything past the 4th-Stage. In fact, she and Disappointment had the exact same core. One that was a poor parody of mine.

With some parts being the same, and some being far weaker than I was used to.

In fact, I thought I could recognize it, based on how the old man had described its effects and powers.

[Chimera].

The core was called [Chimera].

I allowed Sample 9 to live and named her Disappointment 2.

Sample 10 was also female, but with her, I tried something different. I recalled how Mercy had acquired some individuality after being misshapen at birth. I recalled how she had thus far been my most spectacular success. Achieving the same kind of core that I had.

For this experiment, I had the Queen in charge of her creation cut off the nutrient supply to her body early. So that her mind was left intact, but her bones and muscles were less developed than they should have been.

It had the desired effect. The lack of nutrients resulted in the same lack of loyalty. The same weakness of character.

I had the Queen wait a few minutes. Just to make sure she would survive. I found it prudent, as she was trembling and coughing so much in between sobs that I feared her heart might give out.

Surprisingly, she did survive, despite all the factors working against her. Despite some of the male subjects being more capable of sustaining life.

I found that odd, but I did not question it further at that moment.

Instead, I had the Queen surge forward and drag her back.

This time, I opted to introduce another variable. While her brain was being remodeled, I had the Queen attach small, near invisible needles to as many tissues as possible. Only placing an emphasis on the lower spine, lungs and intestines, rather than focusing only on those areas.

This way, I hoped to saturate more parts with the processed magic at once, in hopes of reducing the chance of a failed core.

She survived through 38 attempts and just as I was about to order the Queen to recycle her, the process succeeded.

Another 7th Stage Core.

I was beyond giddy.

So much so that I named her Patience. For it was my patience that allowed her to live, despite my doubts.

I was just about to create a new experiment, when I noticed something wonderful.

The brute had run out of floors.

He had reached the Dungeon Core.

At last.

I wasted no time summoning as much magic as I could. Channeling all of it to take over the preceding floor and having legions upon legions of my units waiting at the ready.

The brute would soon realize he had been played and he would turn back the way he came.

As soon as he did, my units would swarm the core and take it for myself.

I was so happy and so focused, that I missed the exact words the brute whispered into his bracelet.

Then the brute smashed a crystal he'd been hiding in his pocket. Sending out a foreign pulse of energy throughout the Dungeon.

It felt it pass through several floors. Over me and through many floors after me.

I shut off my own magic on instinct. Avoiding what I was sure was a detection spell of some sort.

However, my creations were not as quick.

Progress, Mercy, Patience, the two Disappointments and even Sample 6 were all lit up. I hadn't even noticed when he'd grown a core of his own but he had been lit up all the same.

The gloomy man appeared next to each one. Taking them away before I could react. Then he took the brute away before I could react.

I thought that was fine.

The brute could help himself to them, if that was what it took to cool his fury.

They were ultimately expendable, and I could always make more if needed.

For my part, I rushed to the Dungeon core. Past entire floors filled with corpses. Never stopping until I passed that final threshold and entered the heart of the structure.

It...

Was more beautiful than anything else I had ever seen in my life.

I reached out with my own magic and felt the entire Dungeon reacting to my intrusion. To my demands.

No longer would I be kicked out. No longer would my conquests be temporary.

This entire Dungeon was as an organ. A second brain and heart all in one.

I felt it beat and my own mind beat with it. Causing a resonance that intoxicated me with how good it felt.

I could feel every plant, every creature, every droplet of water and air molecule in all the Dungeon and I could even feel how much growing it had left to do.

But even those new floors would be under my command. From the very get go.

I could not wait.

I wrapped myself around the Dungeon Core and felt its warmth with my own body.

Then, out of nowhere, I felt a sudden rush of displaced air. And I turned my head to see the brute and the gloomy man. The latter looking disgusted. The former staring into my soul with bloodshot eyes. '

Then, I saw him grin and heard him speak.

"Gotcha bitch."