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.

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

…

run away in the middle of a fight?! A demon that size, that powerful? He must have

little while. I’ve got a lot more work to do to finish powering myself up before the next showdown. And not

flailing around as the Altar within me is consumed

one suffering

GANDALF?! WHY HAVE YOU

to get dangerous.

Phew.

there’s anything I can rank up, then look

up to 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

need to keep working on this as it's proven

means they need a ton of levels before I can improve them again. Void Chomp is still a long way from the halfway point, needing almost a hundred levels before I can improve it again. Even so, just thinking about what lies beyond the Void

the first insect to produce an atomic explosion when I chomp my mandibles? Even the Ancients would have trouble dealing with that,

with constructing and taking apart the mana construct. I’ll have them practise it until I’m confident they can whip it together

spells as fast as they can. Inverting them, condensing them, and testing in a variety of ways before firing them off at