By IMERPUS RELUR
--
The Hive did not grow outward.
It grew inward.
Lin Shen watched the resource panel adjust itself once more. A subtle increase in ambient energy had begun to take shape—not from beast kills or fusion cycles, but from something new.
> [Subterranean Field Detected – Beneath Core Layer]
Status: Dormant
Category: Spiritual Root – Type Unknown
Suggested Action: Excavation Protocol Pending Approval
He paused. "Spiritual root?"
That wasn't on any of his panels before. Was this a hidden feature beneath all territories? Or something unique to his?
> [Fusion Matrix Resonance Detected – Spiritual Signature Compatible]
Unlock Condition: Lord Mind Resonance ≥ 30%
Current Resonance: 32%
He grinned.
So that's what instinctual harmony brought him. Not just troop evolution—but territory awareness. The Hive wasn't a static base.
It was growing sentience.
---
Lin Shen issued a silent order. Thirty ants—ten from the Spiked Soldier caste, ten Acid Foragers, and ten neutral Builders—dug as a single organism.
The tunnel descended in a slow spiral. Minutes passed.
Then—
> Crack… hiss…
The scent hit him before the system confirmed it.
Sweet. Metallic. Old.
> [You have unearthed: Whispering Root (Seed Grade)]
Status: Dormant – Feeding on Hive's ambient willpower
Trait: Accelerates passive evolution growth of all Tier 1–2 units within 100m
Note: Will awaken fully upon Beast Tide arrival
Lin Shen blinked. "It feeds… on will?"
Was that why ants with strong roles evolved faster?
---
He didn't share the discovery. Not even on Region Chat.
No announcements. No flexing.
Just deeper silence.
> [Spore Garden Reaction: Stimulus Detected – Mutation Pressure Adjusting]
[Trait Forecast Shifted: +12% chance to develop Support Caste or Rootbound Variant]
He watched the tiny black dots skitter across the whispering vines below. The ants didn't seem disturbed.
They worshipped it.
The Hive pulsed once more.
---
Meanwhile, across Region 7, another change occurred.
> [World Event – System Adjustment: Root Resonance Threshold Detected Globally]
Reward: First Lord to Synchronize with a Hidden Root will gain Territory Trait Upgrade Token
Progress Leader: Unknown
The chat exploded.
[Lord IronFury]: Who the hell just unlocked a ROOT?!
[Lord WhisperWind]: What's a Territory Trait Upgrade Token?!
[Lord AshThorn]: ROOTS EXIST?! I thought that was myth-level info!
[Lord Lin Shen]: …Silence is evolution.
[Lord FangBreaker]: …No way. That's the Hive freak again.
But Lin Shen had already shut the panel.
---
Back within the Hive
> [Whispering Root has initiated passive spiritual harmony with Fusion Matrix]
Trait Unlocked: Root Sync Caste
Requirement: Forager + Worker + Caste Harmony Mutation
Effect: Reduces energy cost for all future Tier 1–2 evolutions by 25%
Limit: 3 Active Units at a Time
Lin Shen leaned against the glowing crystal of his Lord's Heart.
His Hive didn't need territory walls.
Didn't need beast scouting routes.
Didn't even need new talents.
It needed faith in pattern.
Faith in depth.
Because while the world chased light, he chased what lay beneath it.