Chrysalis Chapter 1722 - Of Course There’s a Catch

Naturally, there’s a catch. Of course there is. Unlimited mana? That goes against the fundamental laws of the entire world! If I truly possessed an infinite supply of mana, I could roam the Dungeon with total freedom, even venturing to the surface as a tier eight monster! I would be able to cast a literal endless stream of spells. I could drop Gravity well after Gravity well without ever running out of juice, and that’s just the basic applications.

By repeatedly venting mana from my own body, I could theoretically create a pocket of hyper-ultra dense mana. I might even be able to recreate the atmospheric conditions of a stratum further down. Or perhaps even two, if I was persistent enough.

However, that isn't the reality here.

The reaction finally begins after I pump in a truly staggering amount of mana. Upon checking, I realized it can become self-sustaining by feeding the liquid mana back into the Well to keep the process moving. Naturally, the output exceeded the input, and the organ began to heat up as the seconds passed. For the sake of science, I continued to pour in more energy, providing the Well with exactly what it needed to sustain the reaction. Eventually, the Well became so hot I feared I would be scorched from the inside out. Just as I suspected the Well might actually catch fire, it stopped taking in more energy, eventually slowing down and returning to a dormant state.

What remained, clinging to the exterior of the Well in defiance of gravity, was the ‘profit’—the excess energy it discharged that couldn't be recycled. To put it simply… it’s a lot. It is extremely dense; I couldn't even begin to calculate the numerical MP value this represents, but it’s massive. At least in the thousands.

While I wait for the Well to cool down and become operational again, I try to contemplate the long-term implications of this organ.

Possessing a massive reservoir of mana is excellent, but how vital is it in the grand scheme? As it happens, it's very significant. While the Dungeon as a whole contains an almost infinite supply of energy, any specific location has a limited amount. When a battle starts, the combatants immediately begin competing for that local supply. This is especially true when skilled magic users are involved. While monsters naturally draw in mana, groups of trained mages will prioritize fighting for control of the ambient energy above all else.

I, however, can walk around with a reserve supply of thousands of MP stored inside my body where no one can interfere with it. Even enemies with the skill to manipulate external energy far beyond my own level won't be able to sever my connection to mana as long as I have this device under my carapace.

Furthermore, this organ hasn't been mutated once yet. I have no doubt that I can boost its efficiency, extend its runtime, or perhaps even alter the type of mana it produces. I might even reach a point where it runs almost constantly, serving as a permanent energy source.

Who can say?

From what I can gather, this organ is already incredibly powerful. Before I start messing with it and adding mutations, I think I’ll experiment with it a bit longer, though I’m already excited about its potential.

The Everflowing Well of Living Waters.

It officially has the Anthony seal of approval.

The next major item on my list to test is the industrial manifold now situated within my expanded commercial empire. I’m obviously not testing that inside the nest, and I wasn't willing to try it in the tunnels where it might accidentally cause a horrific and painful end for the delvers I’m trying to profit from. Now that the tunnels surrounding the nest have been secured, I’ll test it out the next time I head out.

I mean… given that it retains all the effects of my previous acid organs combined with the unexpected benefits of Theorazzn’s energy… I’m honestly a bit worried about the kind of product my business enterprise can now deliver. Hopefully, everything will be fine.

Hopefully.

Well, while I’m taking a break in the Colony, I might as well handle some mutations. In private. That embarrassing public spectacle before my evolution will never happen again! This gives me a valid excuse to distance myself from the screaming priests who are currently performing at maximum volume.

Once I’ve found some privacy, I open the menus and begin browsing, selecting a few upgrades.

Upgrading my tendons all the way to +30 is an obvious choice. Having every tendon in my legs snap off my carapace simultaneously was… less than ideal. I’d prefer not to attempt another empowered Dash until I’m certain I won't immediately cripple myself.

Though that might just happen at +40 instead.

I’m tempted to start mutating my regeneration network, but I’m honestly a bit concerned about it. The system is already so effective that tinkering with it might cause things to spiral out of control.

Still, it is incredibly potent. It would be foolish to ignore it entirely, and I do have some experience with it. I might as well look into some of the basic mutations at the very least.

Reviewing the list for the regeneration network is just as daunting as I expected. Some of the initial options involve ‘increasing the healing fluid increment,’ which is just a fancy way of saying ‘more healing per hit.’ Interestingly, some mutations actually affect the reabsorption rate of the healing fluid, which was unexpected. It isn't exactly comfortable having my system flooded with liters of healing fluid, so faster reabsorption would be nice, though I suspect the primary benefit is reducing fatigue.

According to what Granin told me, producing all this healing fluid is supposed to be very taxing on the body, especially in a short window of time. A normal monster would be completely drained trying to maintain the network for more than a few minutes. Since I am sustained by the pure Will of the Colony, I don’t really care about the stamina cost.

There are mutations for that too, which lower the stamina required to produce the fluid, now that I’m looking for them. Again, I can probably skip those.

Deciding not to go too overboard, I upgrade the regeneration network to +15. The first mutation boosts the healing increment, which will accelerate the network's exponential growth. The second mutation improves the fluid's efficacy, making it more enriched. Essentially, every drop of healing fluid will mend more damage. At +15, I merge the effects and move on to other business.

Actually, while I’m here, I should check my species status. I honestly don’t even recall what Granin told me before the evolution.

Name: Anthony Level: 11 (Mythic) (VIII) Species: Endless Paragon

Huh. That’s actually better than I remembered. Nice.