Chrysalis

How deep does the Dungeon really go? It’s possible that only the Ancients truly know. Certainly no human, golgari, ka’armodo, brathian or any other old race has plumbed the greatest depths and returned.

Of course, it’s possible an empire or organisation has managed to find their way down and has kept it a secret for all these years, but this researcher doubts it.

Instead, we can apply ourselves to examining what information is public and making inferences from there.

To many who toil on the surface, living within the Dungeon is nothing but a legend, a myth or fairytale for children. Little do they know that many of the goods they create and crops they harvest find their way down into the depths, supporting cities and fortresses they do not believe exist.

Of course, the seats of power for almost all the great kingdoms and empires on Pangera are found in the fourth stratum. Filled with abundant life mana, this is a dangerous yet wondrous place to live.

Beyond is the fifth, and it’s unfortunate, but many records end there. A world of poison, decay and toxin, the fifth stratum is a hellscape, inimical to life. However, there are some who are prepared to admit that they have gone beyond this point and into the sixth.

Sometimes, I wonder if those of us in the fourth are similar to those on the surface. There could be a whole world beneath us that we refuse to believe exists, cut off by dangers that we believe insurmountable.

- Excerpt from ‘The Musings of Dai’

Just when I was hyping myself up to do some more mutating, I realise I don’t have the points to invest. What a let down! I was hoping to power up some key organs and look at pushing others to +35, see what sort of nonsense I can mutate with the more powerful options I can get at that level.

cheap. So it looks like I’ll have to hold myself back for now and try to get some more food packed into my face. Good news is, there’s no better time to do that than during a wave. As long as I can get high enough tier enemies, I’ll have points

…

here, Torrifex! How dare my precious meal-ticket run away in the middle of a fight?! A demon that size, that powerful? He must have been

it might be better if I don’t run into him in the next little while. I’ve got a lot more work to do to finish powering myself up

done, I commit them all and then immediately start flailing around as the Altar within me is

I’m the only one suffering

HAVE YOU CURSED ME

as large as I am, this is starting to get dangerous. Thankfully, structural integrity was maintained in the

Phew.

to poke at my Skills and see if there’s anything I can rank up, then look at the lists for

the third rank, which I do immediately. That’s not nothing. Considering the changes I made to the Altar, Gravity Magic is going to be my most powerful offensive weapon going forward, even more than

has also reached a new rank, which is nice. I need to keep working on this as it's proven useful and not just as

which means they need a ton of levels before I can improve them again. Void Chomp is

of result would that produce? Could I become the first insect to produce an atomic explosion when I chomp my mandibles? Even the Ancients would have

constructing and taking apart the mana construct. I’ll have them practise it until I’m confident they can whip it together in thirty seconds or less. Having to wait for more

condensing them, and testing in a variety of ways before