Ignored, I did, that of Yellow Screen’s second message. I can extract the Green Eyes later. I can look at the new quest afterwards . No issues there.
But much larger a problem stemmed from Yellow Screen’s first message.
“20 mana, I must spend? Or be dispersed pointlessly back into the environment? No! Never!”
I refused! Three Green Eyes, did I have to kill to earn the right to survive. Almost died, I did. My heart, nearly eaten, for me to obtain the mana to barely survive. Strong, I was to become. Mother, I was to meet. Waste mana? Never. Eat, I will. Become strong, I will. And to become strong, only eat more, I will. Forever more!
“Mana - MY mana - shall only be spent, not thrown away!”
Green Eyes, they came again. Three, this time, tried to eat me. But eaten instead, they were. I knew little of Green Eyes, but of what I consumed, I knew Green Eyes drooled greedily over my heart. Maybe because my chipped core grew larger - maybe it also smelled stronger, more appealing, drawing in more Green Eyes. Four Green Eyes, I had to kill now. The thought of more Green Eyes trying to eat me made me mad.
Furious, I commanded Yellow Screen. “Only Atlas eats! Not to be eaten! Heal me, Yellow Screen! Use the excess mana my core cannot hold to mend my broken heart!”
[Notification]
Recovery of one point of Core Integrity requires two points of mana.
Current Core Status:
Core Integrity: 7/20
Available Mana: 40/40 + 20 loose mana
Consuming 20 loose mana to recover 10 Core Integrity points?
(Yes) (No)
Note: Loose mana will disperse in forty-five seconds.
I felt it - the thick mana. It laid all over within my stomach. But it was slowly moving, trying to move beyond my darkness to escape forever. I would not allow it.
“Of course! Yes, Yellow Screen, yes! Use MY mana! Heal me! Loose mana is mine! Only mine!”
[Notification]
Request acknowledged.
Using all excess mana to recover Core Integrity.
Internal Sight allowed me to see within my stomach. The chaotic mana moved sporadically about, trying to head past me to the outside world. But changed, they did. All the tiny motes, the dots of silver light, they ceased wandering aimlessly like dust in the wind. Yellow Screen did something. I did not yet understand how Yellow Screen did so.
It commanded the mana.
Strong. I thought of Yellow Screen.
Like tiny heads, the motes of mana lifted up - awakened.
They flowed, following in many meandering streams of single file lines and seeped into my heart - my core. It shined, my spherical heart did, glowing in iridescent gold as the chipped pieces of my core filled in with a soft, warm gel that hardened.
[Notification]
20 Loose Mana consumed.
10 Core Integrity points recovered
Current Core Status:
Core Integrity: 17/20
Available Mana: 40/40
“Finally,”I sighed with a breath of relief.
The double-digit numbers of my core’s values gave my anxious heart a moment of respite. I felt almost whole. More whole than before. Realized, I did then, that before I ached with cutting cold from the chips in my heart. I needed to be more careful of damages to my core.
But enough for now.
I was not done yet.
Only began, I did.
“Yellow Screen, I want to create another floor! And strengthen my belly! Strong enough so Green Eyes cannot scratch and claw through!”
[Notification]
Requests received.
Processing first request: creating a subfloor.
As the skill will be evoked for the first time, please observe and note all actions. As directed by Hive Mother, all future evocations of the skill will not be provided by the Dungeon System.
Evoking skill Create Floor LVL 1…
Huffed, I did, at Yellow Screen. Forgotten, I have not. Yellow Screen was stingy, only willing to help me once. Mother was-
No! Mother only wanted me to be strong! The strong do not depend on others. I cannot depend on Yellow Screen.
I focused my attention, unblinkingly, waiting to watch all actions done by Yellow Screen.
Wait. I can’t blink.
Never blinking was even better! I will never miss any details! I will learn how to build on my own by watching. Yellow Screen, I would not ask for too much help again. The strong do not need help.
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But oddly, the actions from Yellow Screen that I waited for did not occur. Instead, more screens appeared.
[Notification]
New Quest!
Growing Children Will Be Rewarded
Objective:
Increase skill: Create Floor to LVL 10!
Rewards:
When the growth of the skill reaches LVL 10, the Space and Time attributes will be given as a reward and another skill will be obtained: Create Dimensional Space LVL 1.
[Notification]
Additional inputs needed to evoke skill: Create Floor.
10 mana is required to form an additional area of twenty square meters on the first floor.
Currently, with the LVL 1 skill, floors can be horizontally expanded indefinitely so long as there are no external interferences in the way and sufficient mana.
Due to the distance of the core, each subsequent floor thereafter will require an additional ten extra mana from the last previous floor to form an area of ten square meters.
Meaning, creating a second floor and expanding the second floor will require a minimum of 20 mana per square meter. 10 more mana will be required for the next subfloor and so on.
Shifting the core to lower floors can help alleviate some of the needed mana to create new floors. However, moving the core will consume mana and will leave the dungeon momentarily without mana until re-established.
Note: Other additions, such as altering floors, will require more mana.
Would you like to continue to expand the first floor or create a second floor?
I did not know yet. Still digesting information, I was.
“Square meter? How much is that?” I asked Yellow Screen. Familiar, I was not, with the unit of measurement. Hmmm. What did I know and use instead then?
[Notification]
One square meter approximates to the first ogre’s torso.
The first ogre? Strong One’s torso?
I glanced over at Strong One who still snarled under his breath at Strong Defender. Strong One’s torso took a little over a third of his body.
One square meter is Strong One’s torso?! Only two then for one mana?!
Large, Strong One was. But for one mana, two square meters were not enough. And only on the first floor. Second floor required ten more mana, double the first floor. Mana stored in my core only amounted to forty, meaning at most I could only increase my current belly by eighty of Strong One’s torso.
A lot, eighty of Strong One’s torsos seemed to be. But really not at all. At most the total size of a smaller apartment. And only for this floor. Talking about the second floor, my head ached. Mana. I needed much more mana.
“But apartment? Making this first floor the size of an apartment? How do I even know what an apartment-?”
“Master? Apartment, you want to eats?” Strong One asked with a tilt of his round, bald head. A light bulb came on in Strong One’s head as he added, “Strong One finds apartment for Master!”
I chuckled. “No, not to eat, Strong One. Apartments are not to be eaten. A surprise it will be - surprises for you and Strong Defender.”
Strong One’s face lit up. His face wrinkled upwards in excitement. My darkness, my belly, shook wildly. Strong One jumped up and down, happily hopping back and forth on leg and then the other.
That was until he comprehended all I said.
Groaned unhappily, Strong one did. “Master! Only surprises for Strong One! Not for Strong Defender!”
An ecstatic feeling rose from my core. Different from being warm. Wanted - I felt wanted. Strong One desired my affection. Just like how I desired Mother’s. I liked Strong One feeling jealous.
“Master, Strong One will do as Master deemed right,” Strong Defender said with a bow of his head.
Strong One snorted, puffing up his chest and standing upright. He tried to compose himself in a more mature manner like Strong Defender.
Strong Defender’s head nearly scraped the ceiling. Taller, Strong Defender was, compared to Strong One. I felt bad. A home I wanted for Strong One. But for Strong Defender too, who hunched over to stand. I needed to do better.
“Strong One, Strong Defender. I made you both, and so you two are brothers. The surprises therefore will be for the both of you.”
“Brothers? Me and ugly Strong Defender?” Strong One asked with astonishment while looking at his brother with a face of reluctance.
Strong Defender replied with a smirk.
“Brothers, you two are. And so I will give you both your first surprise. A sister!” I exclaimed.
“Sister?!” Strong One shouted in unwillingly.
“Oh, a sister ogre, Master?” Strong Defender responded.
Ten points of golden mana flowed out of me and pooled before me, forming a sister I made for Strong One and Strong Defender.
Female, my new creation was. Her size was similar to Strong One, heavily weighing down as she stepped onto my belly with thunking stomps of her large, wide feet. Her large mounds swung as she walked, slapping and slightly drooping to her belly from the immense weight of her chest. She came to life naked just like her siblings.
Clothing?
Again something I needed that I somehow knew about. But glad, I was that my creations did not know. Or at least, worried not, my creations were about being fully exposed.
“Master? Whats you wants me to helps with, Master?” My new creation asked with a deep womanly voice.
“Strong Helper, you will follow your brother, Strong One. The both of you will help bring me food from the outside. Eat whatever you like along the way. Take as much as you can! A feast will be had. We shall eat and celebrate Green Eyes’ defeat!”
“Strong One don’t needs helps. Strong One enough, Master!”
A rising feeling of strong competition arose from Strong One. He felt challenged. Good.
“I know you are, Strong One. But now grown, our family has. We are not alone anymore. Stronger together, we are. You have a brother and a sister along with me. All of us must eat to grow even stronger. And to grow strong we need food. Go, my creations. A surprise awaits your return.”
“Whats about ugly?” Strong One asked while glaring at Strong Defender.
“You mean Strong Defender, Strong One. Too tall, Strong Defender is. I need to adjust for Strong Defender’s height.”
“Makes Strong Defender smaller? Ha! Strong Defender goings to be Small Defender.”
Strong Defender glared back at Strong One. “At least, not small brained.”
“What brains good for? Can you smash with brains, ugly? No!” Strong One laughed and turned away from Strong Defender and commanded Strong One’s sister, “Come, Strong Helper! Let Master make Strong Defender into a surprise for us. We bring back food for Master!”
“Yes, Strong One! Food for Master, we go!”
Strong One assumed before I could explain, dragging Strong helper as they skipped with stomps to the outside world.
“Be careful!” I warned, but the duo did not hear my warning.
Sighing, I addressed Strong Defender. “Strong Defender, you will keep guard. Focus on Yellow Screen, I must. In return, I will make my darkness taller. Crouch, you will not have to no more.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Yellow Screen! I want to use twenty mana to increase the first floor of my belly. Make sure to make it tall enough for Strong Defender to stand tall. I want the entrance of the outside to extend down the hall, splitting into two paths that lead to two rooms that will connect to another room. Lastly, that room will connect to the last room where I will be.”
[Notification]
Input parameters received.
Evoking skill: Create Floor LVL 1…