Chapter Twelve, Evolution.

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  Jora approached the laying beast. It was countless times larger than anything he had encountered so far. It wouldn't have been able to move through any of the Dungeon's tunnels... The clearings would hardly be able to hold it...

  "Yep. Eat it. Quickly. Sort the memories later." The voice spoke once more, sending a shiver down Jora's spine.

  He stood just a few feet away from the monster. It was quite grotesque. Massive and ugly, but he didn't take in it's appearance.

  It would be gone soon anyway.

  "[Devour]."

  "[Integrate]."

  An overhaul of energy sunk into Jora's stomach. It burst throughout his body, and fed each and every muscle. Some swirled around within his brain, easing his thoughts and providing clarity, but there wasn't enough to boost his Intelligence.

  His eyes widened upon seeing the Broodmother's skills, but he understood. His eyes shifted to his new levels in his most important skills, and joy filled him.

  He ignored the blast of memories, they were far more numerous than usual.

  "Shit... That was... Oh okay, your skill leveled up during the process. Level five as well, qualitative change. I'm... still struggling to understand. No matter, come, let's talk. You will have the chance to farm... twelve more skills? Right? Three each consumption... Woah. You took a shard of [Power Descend] as well? You might walk out of this with two more [Talents] as well..." The voice rambled, creating a small pressure in Jora's mind, but it was quickly drowned out.

  The far wall of the Boss Room opened up, revealing a bright light. He could hardly see inside of it, but it seemed to be calling him forward.

  "Observe, [Ana-"

  "Don't-"

  "AGHH!" Jora fell to the ground, pain consuming his mind.

  "Imbecile. I told you to come in, not look at me like that."

  Jora writhed on the ground, holding his eyes. Blood leaked from them profusely, his eyeballs shattered, turned into goop, sloshing around within his sockets.

  Through the pain, he felt something grab him, his body being moved against his will.

  He couldn't see, and it was a scary thing.

  But then, mana coursed through his body, his vision being slowly returned.

  His health maxed out, and everything returned to what it once was, only he was in a different location.

  Within a secret room, the stone carved incredibly different from the rest of the Dungeon system. Well, this stone was actually carved.

  It was a solid room, regal engravings lined on the stone walls, a square floor pattern within the ground. It was orderly and nice, a drastic difference from the natural and ragged structure he was used to.

  In the center of the room, floated a glowing sphere, power emanating off of it's existence. It wasn't very large, likely the size of an Orbweaver's head, but it exuded something...

  Something deep.

  Behind him, the wall closed, rising back up the way it had receded. He scrambled to his feet, confusion, fright, and even a tad bit of anger brewing deep within.

  "Calm yourself. Your [Talents] shape you, but they don't have to be your definition. Be hungry all you want, be mad all you want. But not every situation will allow you to fall into those emotions." Mana pulsated from the sphere, filling the room, and spreading out waves of sound.

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  The wave ran directly through Jora, making him lurch over.

  It...

  It smelt...

  "So good..." He murmured, glancing back upwards.

  "Right. I probably do smell good to you. I would make the most generous meal you would experience to date. But I simply don't think that is something you can handle... In honesty, I would make one of the greatest meals you could find on this planet!" A chuckle emanated through the waves of mana, piercing right through Jora once more.

  "Blah blah! I'm not going to wait for you to reply. You're too... weak minded. In simplicity. I want to strike a deal with you." The voice boomed. "I have been observing you since the moment you appeared. I saw your [Talents] the moment you awoke. I honestly don't know how you got here, but I know that when you did, you consumed one of my spiderlings, and leveled up quite a few times. You unlocked your second talent, [Wrath]. That in itself was enough for me to deem you a threat. I wanted you gone the moment you gained consciousness. In all my years, I have never once seen a creature possess two talents below level forty. Even the greatest of greats could only obtain their second at that level, not level 5 like you." Jora's eyes widened hearing the Core's words.

  "I sent spider after spider, trying to eliminate you. And then you awoke to your intelligence... Seeing that, I sent a Mother after you, assuming you wouldn't be able to take it. Beforehand, you were so robotic, so... inconsequential. And then you fucking destroyed La'Kiej. I wasn't upset, that was my shortcoming... I had been preparing the Orbweavers on my own long before you came, but once you showed up, I had to divert a little more power towards Katilk. And then once you defeated La'Kiej, I had to divert even more power to him. I boosted him up to Boss Level, sending him for you, but he encountered those stupid fucking humans. They killed my baby..." A range of emotions fluctuated through the voice, Jora took note, surprise filling him.

  It didn't feel normal for a Dungeon to have so much... personality.

  "Nevertheless, once Katilk was gone, I realized... I could just use you! I had observed how you devoured the human corpses, stealing their powers even in death... The way you grow is so... violent. You grow almost too fast, I feel. You need someone to stabilize you, give you real experience. You can be my Boss Monster. With your skill and [Talent] stealing, with [Power Descend] at your disposal, we could create one of the most vibrant and brilliant Dungeons in the world! I wouldn't have to be confined to the Arachnid type any longer. It gets tiring after so many millennia..." He could feel the smiling emotion.

  "Ah, I even sent the horde after that human party... Just so that you could get a taste of that girl. I couldn't peer much into her since they were only here for a short time, but it was clear that her talent was... LEGENDARY! Magnificent right? Tasted good didn't it? I doubt you'll get to taste something as good as that so easily any time soon. That was my first gift to you. And then, leading you here with the Orbweavers. I could see how much you wanted [Thread Warping], so I gave it to you... Even now, I'm willing to grant you more power! As a Dungeon, I can do many things that others cannot. I can build [Talents] for you, its just up to your capability to grow stronger to handle them... You would be my sole Boss Monster. There would be no Boss Portal, only a Boss Room!" It continued to ramble.

  Jora consumed every word it said, listening deeply.

  "Hurry up and agree... I feel something outside... It's at least B-rank... I need to boost your power so that you can defeat it! Once it finds out I am a C-rank dungeon, I don't think it will want to keep me here." The core added.

  "Let..." Jora muttered.

  "Spit it out." The core replied.

  "Let me try to [Devour] you..." A nervous smile emerged on his face. "If I really cannot [Devour] you, then... I'll agree. We can grow stronger together, and I will be your Boss Monster."

  The roomed seemed to tremble just a bit, the mana pulses getting a bit more intense.

  "Seriously?... I offer you the deal of a lifetime, and you want to bite more than you can chew? You can't fucking eat me... It will kill you. I'm not just some magic item. Or an organic life force. I exist, embedded into this world. I have power beyond many, despite me seeming like a lowly C-rank Dungeon to you, every Dungeon has more power than even the strongest of mortals on this continent... I won't speak for the others, they have some... Weird entities." It replied, anger bubbling within it's voice.

  "You have no brain, and it shows... Go for it. I will let you try, and I will agree to save your life when you fail. You will owe me." What the Core said, seemed to hold a frightening undertone.

  But eerily, he felt no danger.

  The world seemed to whisper to him. Beckoning him to do it...

  It was strange... But he felt... It felt right.

  He stepped forward, sweat beading down the sides of his head as he approaching the creature before him.

  "Any day now..." The core spoke.

  Jora stopped his advances, pausing just a few feet away from his target.

  He sucked in a deep breath.

  The world massaged his shoulders.

  He was making the right decision.

  "[Devour]."

  His mouth expanded, bubbling upwards and encircling the glowing orb.

  Reminiscient of when he attempted to consume Jessica Bruchard, the mana in the air seemed to fight back, not wanting him to complete this meal.

  The mana became more tame, slowly receding, making way for his mouth.

  "What?" The Core murmured, shock pulsating outwards.

  "No..." There was fear in it's voice.

  His mouth clamped around the orb, a burning sensation filling him.

  "NO! THERE IS NO WAY." A muffled yell came from his throat. The orb fought his consumption. It didn't slide down his throat, melting into energized liquid like most meals did.

  "STOP. SPIT ME OUT." It screamed.

  But only a smile emerged on Jora's face.

  He felt pain. His body burned, but the world told him that he could handle it.

  It told him, that he would handle it.

  He gulped, harder and harder, trying to swallow the entity within.

  But it fought, it's mana burning away at his insides.

  "[In..." He murmured.

  "YOU BITCH. STOP IT NOW." His smile deepened.

  The orb didn't seem as friendly as it once did.

  "[Integrate]."

  And...

  Black.

  Darkness enveloped everything, but it felt calming.

  Familiar.

  His head swiveled, observing the darkness. There was nothing, for eternity.

  Only black.

  He outstretched his hand.

  But there was no hand.

  No body.

  Just him.

  "I..."

  This voice.

  It wasn't his.

  It wasn't the Core's.

  "If I am to be truthful... I do not know where you originate from... But I am not opposed to allowing your existence." It spoke, settling deep into his soul.

  "Do what you must. Grow as you must. I will need you, and you will need me. The Gods may not like you, but they cannot do anything about it. We will all need you."

  ...

  The darkness receded, and he was the only thing left within the Core Room.

  His face was expressionless.

  He struggled to truly process it all.

  "[I hate you.]" A voice sounded in his mind, reeling him back in.

  "What the fuck?" Jora murmured.

  "[Yes. It's me you fucker. I am a part of you now. ME! ANAFLANDUS!]" The voice screamed.

  A chuckle escaped Jora's lips.

  And then he keeled over, laughter consuming him.

  "[I AM NO JOKESTER. You ate me. ME! I am reduced to a mere skill! Why would she let you do this!]" Anaflandus cried, Jora wiped his tears, the irony of the situation slowly dissipating.

  "What happened to being, oh so powerful?" He smiled, returning to his feet.

  "[Fuck you. None of that even matters anymore. I am a part of you. We might as well make the most of our powers now. First, run through the Boss Portal four times and eat the remaining Broodmothers. The Dungeon is going to collapse soon. This is no longer my domain. Your body is. I will take the time to rebuild my Dungeon within you later. We have to get to a safe location during the spatial fold.]" The core spoke.

  Jora only stood in place, taking in all the words, mildly confused.

  He could feel the character within him stirring...

  "[EAT THE BROODMOTHERS, TAKE THEIR SKILLS, AND COME BACK HERE BEFORE IT ALL COLLAPSES. YOUR POWER NEEDS TO BE BOOSTED FOR WHEN YOU'RE TELEPORTED OUTSIDE, IN CASE THE B-RANK THREAT IS NEARBY.]"

  ...

  Jora rubbed his ears, checking for blood.

  "You're more wrathful than I am, it seems."

  His new... skill? Intrigued him. He would take the time to understand it's ins and outs after his next meal.

  He was indeed hungry after all.

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