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The Collector stepped over the fleeing specimen’s corpse. It was a goblin of a different variant than the ones it had witnessed, covered with brown fur and possessing of ape-like features such as longer arms and high muscle density for moving through the trees of forested environments.

Though, it appeared from the density of the fur that it was meant more to dissipate heat and regulate internal temperatures than to provide warmth, indicating this specimen originated from a warmer, likely tropical climate.

Like the other hobgoblin variants, this creature did not belong here.

A strong indicator that these goblins too possessed a means with which to warp, for they did not show any indications of wielding sufficiently advanced vehicular technology.

The Collector clicked its mandibles.

It had desired to simply cripple the specimen by blowing off its legs, but the Collector had misjudged its distance and timing by a five percent margin of error, and that showed in a gaping hole on the specimen’s lower abdomen.

‘Another hobgoblin? This one…the fur. Let me see,’ The female daemon floated over the corpse, cocking her head in academic scrutiny. ‘Aha, it is from the realm of Foraoise.

And from its size…a champion, too?

There…there must be a Lord here.’

“You are uncovering information for yourself that is already known to me,” said the Collector. “Tell me instead the possibility of this variant, this ‘lord’, possessing the means to access warp-based travel.”

The female daemon specimen hovered in the air, putting a hand to her chin, and then shook her head. ‘Goblins cannot travel the realms with their own power, nothing can except the Danavans, but…but nobody has ever seen them.

But…if there is a dungeon here, and the lord is the dungeon boss, then…then maybe.’

“Dungeons? Explain further,” said the Collector.

‘Dungeons…dungeons,’ the daemon said to herself, searching her memories.

Then, she adopted another tone, reciting information. ‘Dungeons are still a mystery. How they came be is difficult to tell, and there are a thousand different tomes all with a different explanation.

But what I, Hazi, former adventurer seven star adventurer, can tell you is what they are and how to deal with them.

If you are reading this, you are probably a one- or two-star adventurer. So, you know the basics:

Dungeons are temporary lairs that often divide itself into layers, and the more layers there are, the higher ranked the dungeon is.

At the bottom of the dungeon, there’s a monster called the ‘boss’ that anchors the whole lair into existence.

There are two types of dungeons. Bound and Unbound.

Bound means that the dungeon stays static and won’t change and expand.

Unbound means the dungeon can shift, even move, and grow.

Bound dungeons tend to be harder to clear with more layers while unbound dungeons are dangerous because they can copy themselves over time.

But at the end of it all, you take the boss out, and the dungeon collapses.

Keep the collateral low, even more so with unbound dungeons, and you’re all set.

That’s what most adventurers learn in their first year of working with the League.

Of course, this is all just general talk.

Once you put in the field work for as many years as I have, you start to realize that although there are plenty of rules in this world, there’s plenty of wriggle room between them as well.

There are horribly dangerous dungeons that merely have one layer.

There are dungeons that anchor to a boss that is not even a monster, maybe a crystal or living wall or, in one particularly bad case, a spore rooting inside an invading adventurer, making it so you cannot clear it without killing someone in your own party.

You have no idea what you will face in dungeons as an adventurer.

What you do need to know is humility.

You need to know when you have to retreat, preferably with a priestess of the paths, and you need to know when a dungeon is dangerous enough to call for help.

The League has limited resources; you knowing how to use them and when to call for them will save your life, especially if you are lower ranking, than any artisanal sword or shield crafted from Tallo or Utu or any place of renowned forging.

Because at the end of the day, unless you’re three stars or above, you are worthless.

You will have no coin, no resources, and no reputation.

And, most likely, you will be weak.

A harsh truth, but one better known than ignored until death.

And there is no shame in splitting a dungeon’s rewards with whatever higher ranked party or League official comes to aid you. If anything, it will make your life easier and continue it at the same time.

But you must present the League with a good case for their assistance.

For that, you need information.

Any dungeon you see, don’t enter it, stay at its perimeter and do a routine scouting.

Get a sorcerer from the Order to read the leylines in the area. Check for disturbances. If you do not have a sorcerer in your party, then hire one. Don’t skimp out on a good sorcerer because of coin.

Better to have your life than an empty bag.

Check first and foremost if there’s mana signatures in the leylines that come from different realms.

This means the dungeon is not only unbound, but also capable of drawing monsters from different realms.

If this is the case, report back to the nearest League sentry. Elevate the threat ranking of the dungeon one full rank. Dungeons like this are unstable and capable of growing in the blink of an eye.

Try to find what exactly is causing the instability. Most of the time, the dungeon boss will be the culprit, but sometimes, there are other entities, maybe a subordinate monster or a structure that is tapping into the instability.

If you do not have the power to fully clear the dungeon and slay the boss, then focus on disabling these entities, Warpers as they’re known in our trade, because that alone will take out half the dungeon’s threat.

Then, you check for-,’ The daemon stopped, nodding to herself. ‘That…that is all I read before Thorian took the book from me. He told me I had no place reading about adventurers and getting odd ideas in my head.’

The Collector clicked its mandibles. “That is sufficient information.

Tell me, do you understand the means by which to identify these lairs known as ‘dungeons’ and their mechanism? The entities within them designated as a ‘boss’?”

‘I…I can tell when there’s a dungeon, I think, but…but everything else, no. The dungeons, well, if you read the leylines, they appear like, ah, something will be wrong with them.

I…I can show you if we get near one.’ The daemon perked up, her eyes alight with the emotion of wonder that so vexed the Collector.

Why…are we…are we going to go into one?’ she asked, her words breaking apart not because of nervousness this time, but because of curiosity.

“I sense eagerness in approaching this lair classified a ‘dungeon’. Does this area not pose a significant threat?” noted the Collector.

The female daemon shook her head several times. ‘They do, I think, well, I read that they are very dangerous, but…but…the feeling of clearing a dungeon and seeing it, I have always wanted it. I…once, I think, I wanted to be an adventurer.’

“This ‘wonder’ that you feel, I sense it within you in thought of this ‘dungeon’. Yet, I sense that this emotion is most appropriate when witnessing the all-encompassing presence of the Collective.

Soon, within the Collective, you will learn to detach this ‘wonder’ from the phenomena of this world that amounts to little more than slightly special drivel,” said the Collector. “And I now head to this ‘dungeon’. You are to inform me when you sense the necessary environmental anomalies that indicate its presence.”

The Collector clicked its mandibles, approximating where the main goblin encampment was and heading to that direction.

It theorized that this encampment was a ‘dungeon’ through contextual clues.

First, there was the appearance of many goblin variants all adapted to different biomes.

Then there was the fact that the goblins were amassing their numbers for some kind of war effort, and that would require both an expansion of territory and additional troops all entailed within the ‘unbound dungeon’ with a ‘warper’ that the female daemon spoke of.

Perhaps more evidently, the Collector could feel the thrall’s core and sense that there were remnants of psionic energy within it.

The stench of dealing with warp-based travel, though of a different kind than that which the Collector was familiar with spacefaring tinkerers.

Thus, the Collector reasoned that the thrall had been a ‘warper’ for a dungeon with the goblin lord as its boss.

Good.

The Collector clicked its mandibles, potentially seeing the end of its mission in near sight.

If this dungeon possessed a channel for warping adequately powerful enough, the Collector could utilize it to send out its psionic charge to the Collective, regaining connection with the Hivemind and signaling its coordinates for a full-scale takeover.

It would not have to force its way through heavily guarded population centers that housed ‘Warp Temples’.

If the Collector did not move now, there was a chance that these humans, these ‘adventurers’ would get to the dungeon first and slay its ‘boss’, causing, as the female specimen recited, the destruction of the warp gate.

The Collector could not allow that. It took the corpse of the fleeing specimen under its tail and devoured it.

>>>

*Biomass gained (+12)*

Biomass Level: 67/100

*Spirit roots gained (+30)*

Root Consumption Limit: 100/100

*Genetic material gained*

Stored Genetic Material:

-Black Ant

-Deer

-Black Hobgoblin

-Human

-Lesser Oni

-Frostborn Hobgoblin

-Horse

-Lesser Greatcentipede

-Lesser Greatbeetle

-Spitting Greatbeetle

-Leafblade Insect

-Frostborn Hobgoblin Thrall [Core]

-Vineswinger Goblin Champion [Core]

Mana Level: 50%>>100%

>>>

It fully embraced the desire brimming in its heart, rushing into the forest before the daemon specimen could respond to it, rag-dolling her behind it while she tried to adjust to the sudden burst of speed.

One final battle.

One final, good battle.

This, the Collector desired before the dawn of the Collective.

Though the Collector knew this was heretical, it wished to savor this feeling a last time, this desire of the battle to the strong before the Hivemind could reset the Collector and eliminate the anomalies growing within it.