Chrysalis Chapter 1770 - A Lot of Work has Been Done Here

Wow, the Krath have really been hard at work in these depths. Having cleared out their bases higher up, I've grasped a basic idea of their efforts and goals, but the surface stuff pales compared to their underground projects. Each tunnel I enter bears clear marks of Krath tampering. They've bent passages slightly here, excavated spots there, fashioned drops, chutes, bends, and loops that collectively transform standard Dungeon paths into tools for their agenda. Monsters get directed toward the Colony with machine-like accuracy, the purified mana's scent and presence spread intentionally across vast distances to lure them in.

Descending further turns into a total ordeal. Massive mucus reservoirs block every route, holding millions—likely billions—of liters of the thickest, most fermented slime I've encountered, pooling like a vast snot sea. I'm not risking a swim through that mess, so I search for detours and ways to drain them from underneath, yet barriers litter the area.

My irritation builds as I roam longer, probing around in hopes of uncovering the Krath's hideouts. It doesn't help knowing they're lurking nearby, peeking from their secret nooks and fissures. I could drag them out for a brutal reckoning, but holding back reveals nothing about my detection skills. Ultimately, I want them to guide me to their cleverly concealed strongholds. After demolishing those refuges and driving the Krath back, I'll reshape the tunnels, letting the Colony unleash purified mana into the depths. The wuffers labor tirelessly above, and storage overflows already. When released, a purification surge will flood these passages, wrecking the Krath's fortifications and clearing a direct route for the Colony to the next hearts.

That triumphant flood remains distant, though, as I still can't locate the Krath lair or bypass all their barriers.

Fortunately, frequent battles keep my regeneration active, countering the fifth's relentless corrosion to avoid permanent harm. Without it, not even the Pure Core would let me linger in these tunnels this long.

Four days of aimless wandering through horrific conditions, tolerating the ever-present spying and creeping Krath observers, have pushed my patience to the brink. I'm moments from detonating Pangera's biggest gravity bomb, vaporizing huge tunnel sections just to spark any improvement.

No, hold steady—it's okay. No reason to vent fury so destructively now; I'll hoard it like the Colony's mana reserves, then unleash it perfectly onto those villainous slugs who've trapped me like this!

This tale belongs elsewhere, not rightfully on Amazon—report any sightings of it there.

GAH!

Okay, stay calm. Review once more: my tunnel map logs every detour I've navigated. I've scoured this zone extensively, but no route evades the massive sludge lakes below seems to exist! Digging my own risks cave-ins dumping me into a slime abyss I might not escape. It defies logic! Krath traverse up and down here—they must! If their safe paths stayed above the lakes, I'd have spotted them by now!

A route hides down in that gloom—I'm convinced!

I pondered if the slugs swim the lakes outright, but ruled it out. They're tough against the fifth, yet even they wouldn't endure that muck, I'm certain. Their hidden passages don't link to deeper ways either. Something suspicious brews here, and I must uncover it.

I opt to backtrack, returning to the closest lake for another peek.

The path ahead plunges open, a yawning pit nearly a hundred meters wide, and I plunge in, gripping the stone while flipping over for a survey. The cavern sprawls enormously, with the lake's churning, seething top mere dozens of meters beneath. The vapors sting fiercely, corroding my carapace entirely, but I've mastered ignoring such irritation by now.

I've pinpointed six such lakes so far, each rigged to capture the Colony's purified mana, soaking it up without letting it leak to nearby tunnels or seep below. Progress demands I breach them and drain from underneath.

Gazing past the dense acid mists, I push my jewel-eyes to their limit, seeking to cut through the haze into hidden truths. Or at least spot something new from my prior visit.

Still… zilch. Anticipated a sludge-filled expanse, and yep, that's exactly it.

Disheartened, I start to depart when a flicker snags my attention at the final instant. What in the world? I whip back around, but the subtle shine vanishes.

I glimpsed something… positive, I'm positive. I pour every sense into it—gravity mana, scent, vision, tremors, everything. I'm frantic. Desperate! Show me a clue, universe!

Minutes pass, and all I note is one slime patch slightly less dense than others. Which… likely means squat.

A massive gas bubble rises below and pops, forcing me to scramble aside to dodge the splatter. The lake's surface undulates, and for a split instant, a vertical shaft pierces straight through the sludge's heart. Then, instantly, it vanishes.

Oh? Oho? Ohohohohoho?!