"Huh? No explosion?" Thane was confused.
"Oh... Here it comes..."
The first thing that Thane did, which was beyond his control or to which he did not have a choice, was to slump down on the ground in severe exhaustion.
SPLASH!
He fell into the place where the Dungeon Core is. The small hole created from the combined [Spirit Point Strike] and [Spirit Dispersing Deflection Strike] now had a pool of the strange ethereal water.
The dungeon core continued to leak out this energy from the large hole in its heart.
But Thane knew that the Dungeon Core was dead, as it was no longer beating like a heart.
With the defeat of all foes, his exhausted and wounded body needed to rest, so he quickly turned on the Celestial TV. But the option remained displayed in his vision. Thane confirmed the option.
[Assimilating with Dungeon Core...]
Lights began to surge as the power from Thane appeared. The Celestial TV began devouring the Dungeon Core and drawing it into Thane.
The entire process ended in the anti-climactic death of the Dungeon Core as a strange battle occurred.
It was as if the Celestial TV was trying to rip apart an organ, and the ground where Thane lay was the body.
A strange pulling of energy followed within the ground, and Thane could see that the ground beneath him was starting to lose color and turn grey.
"Don't tell me... this place will-"
CRASH!
As the Dungeon Core vanished, a rumbling could be heard, and the ground where Thane was caved in, and he fell a few feet down, into a shallow pool of the ethereal liquid.
SPLASH!
Thane was within the strange pool of glowing water, and as he struggled to move, he was drowning. But he was too weak to move!
"I have to... get my head up!"
But all of a sudden, he felt a strange strength gather around him.
[Level up!]
The glowing mist swirled around Thane, wrapping his battered body.
The wounds and ruptured vessels began to heal all of a sudden.
His vision flickered with TV-static, and a familiar chime rang in his ears.
[Status Updated]
[Character Status – Thane]
Level: 6
HP: 174/305 (+45)
STR: 40 (+5)
DEX: 38 (+5)
VIT: 45 (+5)
MP: 41/41 (+3)
MPr: 39 (+3)
INT: 48 (+6)
As the numbers flashed, Thane suddenly gasped.
A surge of vitality was flooding into him and healing his wounds. His body twitched as torn muscles knitted slightly, bleeding slowed, and cracked bones groaned with newfound durability.
His health began to visibly improve, and with the strength he acquired, Thane positioned himself to sit up with his head above the waters of the strange, glowing, and ethereal pool.
Even though his health was improving, Thane was extremely tired.
The TV flickered, new messages waiting for him regarding the [Groundling Dungeon Core Channel], but Thane ignored them for now. He needed to live first.
"Spirit Energy 101…" he scanned through his TV console.
The channel opened, and the familiar calm voice guided him once again into controlled breathing. With the ethereal mist pooling all around, Thane followed along. Each inhale drew in strands of light, each exhale pushed out the turbulent spirit tearing at his body. Soon he slipped into a trance, body still, mind focused only on the rhythm of life.
Thane felt a strange reaction from the waters as it was somehow also being absorbed into Thane's body.
When Thane's eyes finally opened, he felt a weight had been lifted. His wounds were gone, but when Thane tried to move, he could still feel that his internal organs and body were still in pain.
"Ugh. I can't fight in this condition..." Thane grumbled.
He slowly sat up and glanced at the TV overlay.
[Time Remaining: 00h:54m]
[Total Available TV-Time: 13h:42m]
"Huh? Just an hour? The last time, it took a few hours to perfectly heal my wound! Could it be this pool?" Thane glanced at the strange pool he was in.
Thane checked the notifications on his TV.
At the very top was a notification that Thane had mixed feelings about.
[Spirit Piercing Explosive Strike learned.]
[Skill Learned: Spirit Piercing Explosive Strike – Level 1]
[Harnesses Spirit Energy into a concentrated point to create a penetrating attack, and disperses the Spirit energy into an explosive strike. Adds a lethal strike to your attacks and increases damage output by 200%. At low levels, the chaotic flow of Spirit creates a terrifying backlash that will cause the user's body to be greatly injured. Don't use it if your cholesterol level is high.]
[Dungeon Source Assimilation Successful]
[New Channel Unlocked: Groundling Dungeon Channel]
A scroll of shimmering text unfurled across his vision:
[Core Channel Rules & Functions]
Dungeon Terrarium – This Channel acts as a living "dungeon terrarium." The assimilated core will grow when fed resources, mana, and other compatible elements.
Feed Me! – Thane may insert magical items, ores, or plants into this Channel to expand its terrain and ecosystem. The more balanced the environment, the faster it evolves. Objects placed in the Channel cannot be accessed in [Storage].
Spawn Pool – As the dungeon grows, creatures may be "summoned" from the Channel into your world. They remain bound to the Channel until conditions are met to manifest them outside.
Note: Necessary Summoning Spells and Abilities are required to summon monsters from the Spawn Pool.
Master Control – Thane is the Dungeon Master of this Channel. All creatures within recognize Thane as absolute authority. They will not harm him.
Growth Triggers – Reaching certain thresholds of mana density, population, or resources may allow the Dungeon Core to evolve.
Channel Open- Creates a portal that connects to the Channel. Only the Host can enter the channel. It cannot be accessed if there are people or monsters detected within 30 meters. Leaving the channel brings the host to the location where the portal was opened, or the closest accessible space. Opening a portal costs 40 MP.
Note: Time inside the Dungeon Terrarium resumes normally unless the Host accesses the Celestial TV inside.
Thane rubbed his eyes as he read the glowing rules. He couldn't believe it. His abilities were starting to diverge from those of a normal TV.
"A... dungeon terrarium?! I can have my own dungeons? And by the looks of it, I can create several dungeons! Wow! I can be a real summoner!" Thane was trembling in excitement.
[EmergentMana Vein Detected.]
[Absorb to Groundling Dungeon?]
Thane was amazed at the notification. He couldn't help but glance at the strange pool he was in.
"This must be an Emergent Mana Vein! Might as well absorb it... If it can go into my channel, I can keep meditating in it as well... Also... Entering the channel... Doesn't that give me a place to watch TV without worrying about being disturbed?!" Thane was excited at the possibilities.
He confirmed the notification, and the entire place began to tremble.
Thane could see the power in his heart awaken into great power as it started to absorb the entire Mana Vein.
Thane could see the pool, and the surrounding rocky walls of the rock began to tremble.
After a flash of light, the pool of water disappeared along with the rocky walls, and it was as if the underground area was scooped up, leaving a large hole in the ground.
"Channel Open!" Thane commanded, and he felt a draining power leave his body as a large blue energy orb appeared before him.
Thane stood up and walked towards the Portal.
FLASH!
When Thane opened his eyes, he could see a strange, dark cave, similar to the one where he once was. The cave hall was dark and about twenty meters in length. There was nothing else in the cave. If not for Thane's ability to see in the dark, he would have seen nothing.
At the center was the familiar beating heart that Thane knew was the Dungeon Core.