> Understanding increased: Frozen Water
The highlight of the winter for System was watching the dungeon slime eat snow. A harsh winter this far north had left the mountain range covered in a plethora of frost for the slime to dine upon. Which became a feast for the Core, as the monster took up the snow into its body and broke it down into mana. A habit common for dungeon Cores low on mana, to break down the environment and undo creation for the mana used in its initial creation by the gods. Letting the slime do it was just a workaround for the harsh limitations that stemmed from the dungeon’s low stats.
System watched as the monster roamed its territory, but that did not mean they were idle. Tasked with nothing by the Core, System had filled their time to build upon the knowledge of its sleeping master.
Every snow drift within the dungeon’s aura was fodder for the slime. The mana generated from the snow was given to the Core, but a small amount found its way to System to be analyzed. Where it was used to expand the knowledge and capabilities of all creatures involved.
In the beginning, snow was too complex. Made of water, but structurally more advanced. The powder was not something that the Core would understand without the requisite knowledge. So System took their time to analyze the substance, as it built upon what the master already knew. The first step was about how water behaved at low temperatures, and from there the weeks that passed guaranteed more knowledge as samples were plentiful. The knowledge of temperature gave way to the knowledge of ice, which in turn fulfilled the requirements to understand more complex creations.
> Understanding Increased: Snow
With the successful discovery, System knew it was just another step for the long journey ahead. Every bit of knowledge obtained by the Core would be integrated into its domain, and allow for smoother progression. Even now, the slime’s feast hastened with each discovery. The dead mana slowed its progress and movement, but no longer did snow have to be melted before the monster could break it down for mana. The step of water completely skipped.
The slime’s ability to consume only grew as its creator’s knowledge of what it ate expanded. It may have been the lowest of all dungeon creations, but the ability to eat anything was second to none. The slime moved faster, eating the snow as quickly as it fell from the sky until none remained.
It had cleared the aura of the dungeon of snow, always careful to never step beyond the safety of living mana. A diameter six feet wide without snow became a stark contrast to the mountainside on which they grew. The mana fed to the Core joined the pulse as it flowed out and expanded, where it allowed the slime to strip down 2 meters of the terrain of bare soil.
A wide area of open space System had spent the winter preparing for. With the snow removed, the spores of arctic moss would have an increased growing season. It was not the most ideal time frame, starting before winter ended, but any plant growth would open the door for more knowledge.
Knowledge that would allow the Core to increase its intelligence score.
Hopefully…
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Before the first signs of winter’s end, the hardiest of plants took the opportunity to sprout. Saved from having to wait for the snow to melt, the spores of Artic Moss began to grow. The slime on its eternal hunt for snow passed them by, as it failed to understand what the plants were.
System knew the slime had eaten moss before, but at the time it was hunting the bacteria that grew along it. The Core, and by extent the slime, only knew what bacteria and water were. To them, these sprouts were just weird rocks; and rocks don’t give much mana when broken down.
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Of course, as System was the guide, it was their job to rectify this misinformation. However, System was not just a line of code that blindly followed orders. They were connected to all other aspects of the original system, and all the splinters that oversaw other dungeon Cores. They knew that for the dungeon to grow, it would need to increase its understanding. A process System could do with ease, but only if it had samples.
Samples the Core would eat before they grew.
With its decision made, System idly watched as the slime patrolled the perimeter at the master’s orders. The snowfall had slowed, so the monster was attempting to find any collapsing snowbanks that fell into its area. All the while, plants sprouted and grew inside of the dungeon.
The moss had a head start, and a chance to outgrow the melting snow.
Unfortunately for System, the snow melted faster than the plants grew.
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Cold. Wet. Food.
The slime was out of food.
It had eaten all the cold food it could, and now it was empty. No more food.
It hunted. It knew food was everywhere. It just had to find more.
Food it could feed the creator.
An order came. A demand. “FOOD HERE” from the creator.
The creator had found food! Slime rolled with haste. It needed to eat the food for creator.
That's when it found the food. Fuzzy food that surrounded the Creator Stone. The new food was green and everywhere. It had to protect the Creator Stone. That was its purpose!
And to eat food. Food was also a good purpose.
Slime descended upon the food to protect Creator Stone. This food wasn't water. Water was nice, but cold. This wasn't cold.
It ate all it could. It would free the Creator Stone from whatever this food was.
Slime paused.
Its meal was good, but something was different.
A thought that wasn't its formed.
> Understanding Increased: Plant
Slime understood now. It knew what it was eating. Plant was just more food. Green food.
It now knew what a plant was. It looked around and saw many of these plant foods.
Slime was going to do a big eat for the creator.
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In every way System was perfect. Perfectly disgruntled.
The moss had grown enough for the Core to notice the plant life that surrounded its stone, obscuring it from the outside. This caused it to order the slime to eat.
And eat it did.
The lichen contained a lot more mana than plain water and snow. After all it was the product life, as it turned water and sunlight into growth. This meant once the slime began its feast, there was no way to stop it.
The mana flowed. Slow at first, as the knowledge of efficient ways to dismantle the moss for mana was unknown. Unfortunately, it did not stay that way, as System was too good at their job.
The influx of mana caused by the several plants caused the dungeon’s boundary to extend, as did the knowledge of plant life. The slime became more efficient, and the moss was consumed in record time.
Took several weeks, but still record time for the Core.
In that time, the aura of living mana expanded. Dead mana chipped away by a constant pulse from the heart of the dungeon. The boundary pushed out enough for something new to be within reach.
Something new that began to sprout.
Plant life sprouted in great force. The seeds of dozens of flowers soaked in the mana of the dungeon, and grew. Long since buried beneath snow, dead mana, and now the dungeon Core itself; a field of flowers took root.
The knowledge of plant life was enough for the Core’s mana to interact with the seeds; it allowed them to grow. And now they would not be stopped or slowed.
System watched all of this play out. The change in mana, the alterations to the environment, and the sudden growth of the buried seeds that emerged from the ground. But System also saw the change in the slime. They could see It now knew plants were food, and a field of plants suddenly surrounded it. Young, small, and perfectly edible plants.
Nothing was going to slow the flower’s growth.
Nothing, except for a single slime.