Chrysalis Chapter 1753 - Out Into the Slime Once More

It's somewhat heartbreaking, yet clearly Tiny and the crew are unable to join me when I return to the tunnels. Tiny and Invidia are thrilled at the prospect of being sent to a deeper stronghold to assist in repelling the Krath raids occurring there, but persuading Crinis proves more challenging.

[Master, noooooooo!] she wails.

[Come on, Crinis. This is over the top, even coming from you.]

[You'll lose your way, or get caught, or disappear into some eerie void! Take me along!]

[That's... unlikely to occur! I'll stay cautious. Get off my shell, darn it!]

[No way!]

I'm attempting to pry her loose using my antennae, but she either grips harder or simply oozes past them, refusing to let me hold on. Consequently, the nearby ants witness me tumbling about in an effort to dislodge my stubborn shadow of death from my back.

In the end, I surrender and resort to giving a command.

[This is all your fault,] I inform a still-squirming Crinis as she puddles on the floor, her tentacles flailing toward me but restrained by the directive. [If you'd simply complied, we wouldn't be here like this.]

[I can protect you!] she argues.

[You absolutely can't, and you know it full well,] I retort sharply. [You're acting absurd. Solant has already explained your role in helping, so go do it.]

It requires yet another ten minutes to urge Crinis into action, and only afterward can I proceed toward the borders of the Colony's freshly claimed lands, navigating the tunnels restored to their primal state!

I'm eager to discover the original appearance of the fifth, and it surely lives up to my expectations! The ambient mana appears to be a type of bio-mana or similar, given the evidently fleshy, biological surroundings, with monsters that align seamlessly with this motif.

A good number of them look like individual cells, whereas others mimic tissues, composed of numerous cells working together. Almost every one is a form of squishy, viscous, life-like creature, however. Fortunately, they aren't particularly powerful, mostly having emerged not long ago.

Accompanied by a few scouts, I dash along the passages, pulverizing any monster bold enough to confront me, though most retreat at my approach, ensuring a secure and rapid traversal.

Nevertheless, the trip to our goal consumes considerable time. The Colony has stretched its domain across thousands of kilometers in the fifth. If laid flat on a chart, it would rival a modest nation in scale. Traveling to its perimeter is no small feat. Luckily, Colony builders have diligently carved shortcut tunnels, sparing me the twists and turns of erratic routes, which speeds things up immensely.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Ultimately, I arrive at the frontier within a single day, utterly refreshed due to the vast horde of ants still linked to the Vestibule.

Moreover, I'm drawing some kind of vitality from the Beyn statue inside.

Something I refuse to dwell on.

"Ugh, I sure didn't miss this."

Gazing beyond the purified region's boundary into the repulsive chaos of the tainted fifth, my disgust surges uncontrollably. After battling the poisons of Theorrazn, I'm in no rush to face them anew, not even mildly. Having journeyed through the sanitized zone for so long, I'd begun wishing this filth had vanished and Solant was merely joking, but alas, it persists in its slimy splendor.

Moreover, this part of the Dungeon poses extra threats, as a Krath base lies nearby with thousands of those slugs garrisoned close by. Doubtless, countless vicious snares and tricks await to halt the Colony's advance, and clearing them falls to me.

To thwart those cursed slugs, there's scarce anything I won't endure.

With courage, I stretch a leg into the foulness, plant it in the muck, and stride across.

The initial and most comforting observation is that my eyes no longer dissolve. Ha! Organic matter yields, but gems endure eternally! My valued crystal eyes resist the erosive mana here far better, sparing me perpetual near-sightedness.

Triumph!

Not that venturing here is enjoyable; it remains dreadful. The fine hairs on my antennae and limbs scorch away instantly, and toxins assault me from every direction. The pain stings fiercely, yet I can tolerate it. My mental constructs activate rapidly, prepared for extra labor to ensure the invasive energy doesn't penetrate and proliferate within.

That's the true peril. Being devoured internally by corruption is far less appealing than it might seem. And it doesn't seem appealing at all.

Once adjusted over a few minutes, I compose myself and advance several paces. Time to press on.

Suddenly, I halt.

An odd phenomenon unfolds. Employing my formidable mental faculties, I sharpen my attention and direct it inside, scrutinizing each faint strand of mana throughout my expansive form.

Enlarging my size hasn't eased the task of blocking the infection; indeed, my bigger body hinders me out here. Despite my best attempts, tiny fragments of tainted mana slip through, an unavoidable occurrence.

Previously, I'd station multiple mind constructs to detect such intrusions. Once these mana specks expanded, they'd be detected and obliterated. A perpetual loop.

Yet now, an alteration takes place.

These minuscule tendrils lack the opportunity to expand; instead, they're drawn away, into the Pure Core, and subsequently... eradicated. Utterly incinerated.

Intrigued, I relax my guard slightly, permitting additional mana entry, and observe as it's likewise siphoned off, tugged to the core and wholly eliminated.

I anticipated it might function this way, but wow! Just how potent is this setup?!